Geneva General Hospital: UR Medicine Finger Lakes Health in Geneva, NY

Geneva General Hospital is a 105-bed general acute care hospital founded in 1898 and located at 196 North Street in Geneva, New York, serving as the flagship facility of UR Medicine Finger Lakes Health. The hospital provides primary care and a full range of secondary level services to Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Geneva General Hospital holds Joint Commission accreditation, New York State Stroke Center designation, and Primary Stroke Center certification, and is home to two nursing education programs on campus.

Overview and Facility Details

Geneva General Hospital is the central acute care hospital of UR Medicine Finger Lakes Health, a multi-institutional health system serving the Finger Lakes region with approximately 1,350 physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and staff members.

The hospital operates 24-hour emergency services and a 14-bed intensive care unit under the Olaf and Elaine Leiberg ICU name. Inpatient units include the 26-bed 2 West medical surgical telemetry and stroke unit, the 20-bed 3 North medical surgical unit specializing in surgical, pediatric, and orthopedic care, and a telemetry unit for specialized cardiac monitoring. All patient rooms are private. A 24/7/365 Hospitalist service provides continuous medical supervision for inpatients. Finger Lakes Health joined the UR Medicine system as an affiliate, connecting Geneva General Hospital patients to the University of Rochester Medical Center’s broad network of specialists in Rochester.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, hospital-based dialysis centers serving multi-county rural regions like Geneva’s 13-station facility play a distinct role in preventing patient travel burdens for those requiring regular life-sustaining treatment, and are recognized as essential community infrastructure in areas where standalone dialysis facilities are sparse.

Medical Services and Specialties

Geneva General Hospital provides a full range of inpatient and outpatient medical services including emergency care, critical care, medical-surgical care, cardiac telemetry, stroke care, orthopedics, dialysis, diagnostic imaging, gastroenterology, and outpatient surgery.

The hospital’s 13-station outpatient Renal Dialysis Center, paired with an inpatient acute treatment service, serves patients from four counties across the Finger Lakes. Diagnostic services include spiral CT scanning, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging, cardiovascular diagnostics, and complete gastroenterology services. The Finger Lakes Surgery Center, opened in 2005, provides outpatient and minimally invasive surgery including orthopedics, eye care, ear, nose and throat procedures, general surgery, endoscopy, and podiatry in a purpose-built healing environment with soft colors, artwork, and a fireplace.

Through its affiliation with UR Medicine, Geneva General Hospital connects patients to specialty care in cardiology, stroke care, cancer treatment, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, urology, and vascular care, with UR Medicine specialists performing surgeries at Geneva General and the Finger Lakes Surgery Center. The Total Joint Replacement Program of the Finger Lakes supports orthopedic procedures at the Geneva campus. The hospital also operates an outpatient psychiatric services clinic for behavioral health needs in the community.

Stroke Center and Cardiac Recognition

Geneva General Hospital is a Joint Commission accredited Primary Stroke Center, a New York State designated Stroke Center, and a recipient of the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award for stroke care excellence.

The 2 West inpatient unit functions as the hospital’s dedicated stroke care unit, staffed by a team trained in the rapid assessment and treatment of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. The hospital’s telemetry capabilities allow for continuous cardiac monitoring of stroke and cardiac patients on the same unit, streamlining care for patients with overlapping neurological and cardiovascular conditions. The Get With The Guidelines Gold Plus designation from the American Heart Association reflects the hospital’s sustained adherence to evidence-based stroke treatment protocols over multiple consecutive measurement periods.

Cardiovascular diagnostic services available at Geneva General include echocardiography, stress testing, and Holter monitoring, supporting cardiologists from the UR Medicine network who provide specialist care on-site at the Finger Lakes Health service area.

Nursing Education and Academic Programs

Geneva General Hospital hosts two nursing education programs on its campus, making it a regional center for nursing workforce development in the Finger Lakes: the Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing and Health Sciences (RN) and the Marion S. Whelan School of Practical Nursing (LPN).

The Marion S. Whelan School of Practical Nursing has roots dating to 1934, tracing its origins to the nursing school that opened alongside the hospital at its 1898 founding. The school provides a source of licensed practical nurses trained specifically for the Finger Lakes healthcare market. The Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing and Health Sciences was founded in 2008 as a hospital-based Associate Degree program designed for adult learners, offering evening and weekend classes and a state-of-the-art simulation lab. It was the first college of nursing in the area to design its schedule around adult learner flexibility.

UR Medicine Finger Lakes Health was named a 2024 recipient of New York’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For Award, the only healthcare system in New York State to receive this recognition, and was also named among the 2024 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. These recognitions reflect the health system’s investment in employee engagement, retention, and inclusive workplace culture.

Patients in the Finger Lakes and upstate New York region may also explore the broader UR Medicine network’s options, including Community Memorial Hospital for nonprofit regional hospital care, or MaineHealth Franklin Hospital as a comparable rural community hospital model serving a similar population size.

Long-Term Care, Community Services, and Patient Access

The Finger Lakes Health system at the Geneva campus includes two skilled nursing facilities, senior housing, adult day programs, outpatient surgery, a school of practical nursing, and an early learning center, creating one of the most comprehensive community health campuses in the Finger Lakes region.

The Living Center at Geneva South, a 103-bed nursing home that opened in 1971 as the first hospital-attached nursing home in New York State, operates a 25-participant Adult Day Health Care Program and specializes in short-term rehabilitation through a Transitional Care Unit. The Living Center at Geneva North, an 80-bed nursing home opened in 1996, operates a short-term Respite Care program. North Street Apartments, a 50-unit elderly housing complex on the Geneva campus, addresses housing needs for elderly and handicapped Ontario County residents.

Geneva General Hospital accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and most major commercial and third-party insurance plans. A financial aid program is available for eligible patients, and the hospital participates in the No Surprises Act protections for out-of-network billing. Patients can pay bills online, access the patient portal, and find a full list of participating health plans at flhealth.org. For appointments, patients can call (315) 787-4000 or schedule online through the Finger Lakes Health website.