GALLERY: Looking back at a decade of success in Wellsville
From Jones Memorial Hospital,
In January 2026, as the University of Rochester Medical Center celebrated their 100th anniversary of the schools of medicine and nursing, Jones Memorial Hospital celebrated 10 years as an affiliate of the UR Medicine system. As we move into the new year, JMH and the leadership team are proud and honored to look back on the last ten years of partnership and service to this community.
Reflecting on what the affiliation has meant to this community, Jim Helms, President & CEO at Jones Memorial stated, “Ten years ago, we made a commitment to strengthen healthcare in our community by joining a larger health system, while staying true to who we are as a local community hospital. Over the past decade, this affiliation has allowed us to expand services, recruit exceptional providers, and bring advanced care closer to home. Most importantly, it has ensured that our neighbors, friends, and families can continue to receive high-quality, compassionate care right here, today and for generations to come.”
After years of collaborating to bring specialists from the University of Rochester Medical Center to Wellsville, Jones Memorial Hospital officially became an affiliate in 2016. Specialty clinics, cutting edge therapy, and clinical access to those services have all been benefits of the affiliation with UR Medicine. Specialty clinics in Cardiology, Oncology, Neurology, and Urology bring the experts from URMC to Wellsville and the surrounding region to consult and treat patients.
The Da Vinci Surgical System that was brought to Jones through a partnership with UR Medicine in 2024 
One of the many benefits of the affiliation included access to advanced technology, such as the new open bore MRI that was installed in 2023 
The infusion suite was added to the oncology space in a new state of the art medical suite in 2025. The new space features 4 infusion chairs, lots of natural light and an onsite provider. 
Hospital leadership, Wilmot representatives and Oncologist Dr. Karan Ramakrishna gather to celebrate the NCI designation in Wellsville in 2025 
CEO, Eva Benedict and Steve Goldstein from URMC sign the agreement of affiliation in 2016 
Dr. Nightingale cuts the ribbon at Alfred Primary Care during their Grand Opening ceremony 
Congressman Nick Langworthy visits Andover Primary Care during their ribbon cutting ceremony
EXPANDING THE AFFILIATION
Jones Memorial Hospital partnered with UR Medicine in 2016 to bring greater access to high quality care to this region. In the same year, Noyes Health also joined as an affiliate hospital, strengthening the partnerships in the region. Shortly after, St. James became the third hospital to join the system in the Southern Tier. By partnering with UR Medicine and the regional affiliates, Jones has been able to greatly expand service lines and leverage partnerships through shared goals and values.
SERVICE LINES EXPANDED
As part of the UR Medicine system, Jones Memorial coordinates on a regional approach to health services.
The Southern Region has worked to partner on multiple service lines, including pain management, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, and urology. Many of these services are provided by one or more physicians who share time between Jones, St. James and/or Noyes. By allowing providers to manage their time between the hospitals, specialty services can be offered in the rural communities. Without the partnership offered through this affiliation, these service lines may not exist at all in the Southern Tier, meaning patients would need to drive to Buffalo or Rochester to get the same care that they are currently able to receive locally today.
WORLD CLASS CANCER CARE
Having cancer care close to home had long been a goal. In early 2017, Jones Memorial, Wilmot Cancer Institute, and Noyes Health collaborated to establish The Ann and Carl Myers Cancer Center, a regional cancer treatment center located on the Noyes campus in Dansville. Augmenting the radiation therapy available at the Myers Cancer Center, the Wilmot Cancer Institute partnered with Jones Memorial on an Infusion Center in Wellsville and an Oncology and Infusion Center in Olean. In 2025, the Wilmot Cancer Institute received National Cancer Institute designation, one of only 4% of cancer centers nationally to receive this designation, raising the overall standard for the level of care provided at all Wilmot locations. In the same year, the Wellsville location combined to provide both oncology and infusion in one state of the art suite.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Over the course of the past ten years, Jones Memorial Hospital and UR Medicine have looked for important ways to work together strategically to bring quality care to the greatest number of patients possible.
In 2018, Jones partnered with St James to open the women’s & Children’s Health Services Suite, bringing these vital services to the Steuben County region and expanding the Jones Memorial primary care footprint into a larger region.
In 2024, this partnership expanded further with St. James and UR Medicine, with the opening of the Neurology, Rheumatology and Infusion space in the Hornell Medical Office Building. This space provides greater access to specialty services that would typically require patients to drive long distances. Now our community can access rheumatology in both Olean and Hornell; Neurology is available in Hornell and infusion services can be accessed in Olean, Wellsville AND Hornell at state-of-the-art facilities in all three locations.
These partnerships not only allowed Jones Memorial to expand service lines and provide greater access to care, but have also allowed the hospital to face challenges head on with resources and support. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, while other small health systems struggled to meet the demands of both the patient populations and strains to supply lines, the partnership with area hospitals and UR Medicine allowed Jones to navigate this complex situation with greater flexibility. Jim Helms how the hospitals worked together during the pandemic, stating, “Working with our partners allowed us to gain access to supply lines, technology and expertise that we otherwise would have struggled to manage.”
PRIMARY CARE
Jones Memorial Hospital has also been designated as a Rural Health Clinic for their Primary Care offices. Because of this important distinction and the operating efficiencies, it offers, Jones was able to not only continue operating the primary care offices in Belvidere, Bolivar and Wellsville, but was also able to open new practices in Andover and Alfred in 2023 and assume operations in the Hornell Primary Care in 2024.
Looking ahead, Jones Memorial is committed to bringing Primary Care to the greater region. The Jones mission is to expand access to quality care and improve quality of life for the community. Jim Helms explains the mission, stating, “By bringing primary care to more people in our region, we improve the quality of life for all.”
RECRUITMENT
By partnering with the recruitment team at UR Medicine, Jones Memorial has been able to bring in talented physicians to our region, significantly improving access to care for our residents and strengthening the hospital mission.
BIG WINS FOR OUR COMMUNITY
One of the largest achievements in recent history at Jones Memorial, and supported in part by UR Medicine, was the transformation and modernization project of 2021. This project included a 14,000 square foot addition to the third floor, housing orthopaedics, family medicine and OB and Pediatrics in a new Medical Village. The total project also included a 5,000 square foot renovation to surgical services, adding two additional procedure and operating rooms, as well as a new upgraded MRI machine and renovated space. In 2025, that same space was fully completed and now includes a combined oncology and infusion suite as well as an expanded general surgery clinic, with three procedure rooms and two exams rooms, allowing providers to address more concerns directly in office without the need to schedule simple procedures with surgical services. Oncology and infusion, previously housed in separate offices, are now in one central location where providers can manage care and answer concerns in real time.
LOOKING AHEAD
Looking ahead, UR Medicine Jones Memorial Hospital will continue in its mission to provide quality healthcare to the patients in our region and improve quality of life for our community. Future objectives include primary care expansion, provider recruitment and continued assessment of service line strategies.
Board Chair, Dan Johnson explained his outlook on the past ten years and expectation for the future, stating, “Our decision to affiliate ten years ago was guided by one priority: doing what was right for our community. As a Board, we’ve seen firsthand how this partnership has strengthened the hospital’s foundation—enhancing financial stability, supporting growth, while preserving local autonomy. And as a direct result of our efforts to provide high quality for this community, we saw in the past two years the CMS 4-star rating designation, and just this year were recognized as a FORBES Top Hospital for 2026. We are proud of what this affiliation has made possible and remain deeply committed to ensuring our hospital continues to serve this community with integrity, accountability, and vision.”
ABOUT JONES MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Jones Memorial Hospital (JMH), located in beautiful southwestern New York State, is a CMS 4 Star quality rated, 49-bed acute care facility serving all of Allegany County, as well as western Steuben County and northern Potter County, PA. Truly a community hospital, JMH is committed to continuously raising quality and safety to higher levels and providing top quality healthcare in a hometown community setting. Jones Memorial is accredited by The Joint Commission and is a Forbes Top Hospital for 2026.
