NYC Health Plus Hospitals/Elmhurst Announces Plans for Emergency Department Expansion

ELMHURST, New York, Nov. 22 -- The New York Health and Hospitals issued the following news release:

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- The $43 million expansion project will include the redesign of 28,900 square feet of space; an added floor above the emergency department will be built to accommodate the hospital's Adult and Child Emergency Psychiatry and Partial Hospitalization programs

- New York City Council, the Queens Borough President, NYC Health + Hospitals, and New York State's DSRIP program provided funding for the expansion

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NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst today hosted a kickoff ceremony for the future construction of its Emergency Department (ED) expansion. The $43 million capital expansion project will include the renovation and redesign of the existing 28,900 square feet of space, along with the addition of a second story that will provide a new 19,400 square feet. The expansion will feature 33 new patient rooms within the adult ED space, which includes rooms dedicated to bariatric, special pathogens, and critical care isolation. Space will also be made for 25 patient bays, 19 surge bed capable locations and an expanded 10 bed critical care/trauma space, up from seven currently. The new second floor to the ED will accommodate the hospital's Adult and Child Emergency Psychiatry and Partial Hospitalization programs. The space will incorporate a state-of the-art Stroke Center, featuring an advanced medical imaging unit that will allow the hospital to expedite life-saving care for stroke patients. Funding for the project was provided by the New York City Council, the Queens Borough President, NYC Health + Hospitals, and New York State's DSRIP program. The expansion is scheduled to begin in late spring of 2020 and be substantially completed by April 2023.

"Today we celebrate the start of work on a significant new addition to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst that will meet the growing healthcare needs of our communities in Queens," said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Raul Perea-Henze. "With this Emergency Department expansion, including renovations and state-of-the-art technology, NYC Health + Hospitals takes an exciting next step in its ongoing transformation to deliver high-quality care centered on patients in the neighborhoods New Yorkers call home."

"As one of the busiest Emergency Departments in the city, the renovations, expansion, and new state-of-the-art technology that's coming to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is critical in continuing to care for New Yorkers, especially in the event of a life-threatening event," said President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals Mitchell Katz, MD.

"NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst provides emergency medical services to tens of thousands of people living in central and western Queens and surrounding communities, and so we are truly excited to begin a renovation that will dramatically enhance the experience patients have when they come to our Emergency Department," said Vice President of NYC Health + Hospitals and Elmhurst CEO Israel Rocha. "Our Emergency Department's more efficient design flow, and the addition of modern, state-of-the art imaging equipment, will reduce patient wait times and improve the overall patient experience for the population we serve."

"We are enormously grateful to the New York City Council and the Queens Borough President for their support for this project," said Director of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst's Emergency Department Stuart Kessler, MD." "Our ED team looks forward to being able to continue providing high-quality care in a facility that more efficient and patient-centered."

Additional features of the new Emergency Department space will include:

* A digital x-ray unit located within the adult ED that will vastly improve patient wait tie for imaging;

* Six private rooms, designed to secure patients who require close supervision, such as those on suicide watch; and

* Nursing and administrative support space, which will feature better designed layouts of nursing stations with direct view of patients, improved triage flow, additional team huddle space, and private consult spaces, conference and break room spaces.

"This expansion of NYC Health +Hospitals/Elmhurst's Emergency Department will be a great boon to this hospital's continuing commitment to meet the health care needs of our borough's growing families," said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. "This expansion will create a modern and spacious facility that will provide state-of-the-art care to those seeking emergency attention. It has been a privilege for the Queens Borough President's office to join with NYC Health + Hospitals, the New York City Council and the New York State DSRIP program in funding this vitally important expansion."

"Access to quality hospital care is a life or death issue and this Council has made it a priority to do everything we can to increase healthcare access for New Yorkers," said New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. "I am proud to join my colleagues from Queens to support this expansion of the emergency department at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, and I look forward to continuing our work to provide betater care for all of our neighbors throughout the five boroughs."

"The expansion of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst's emergency care unit will benefit our community for years to come," said NYC Council Finance Chair Daniel Dromm. "It will mean more efficient and specialized care for my constituents, and will also significantly reduce wait times. I am proud to have worked alongside NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson to allocate the funding needed to realize this important project. Fortifying our local hospitals will always be a top priority of mine."

"I was pleased to support this capital project, which will enable the NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst to provide enhanced emergency room and emergency psychiatry care services for the residents of Queens County," said Councilmember Karen Koslowitz.

"This expansion represents more than an investment in NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, it's an investment in the lives of Queens residents," said Council Member Francisco Moya. "As the medical needs of our communities change and grow, Elmhurst Hospital continuously demonstrates its commitment to advancing world-class patient treatment. I applaud NYC Health + Hospitals and the staff at Elmhurst for their dedication. I am proud to work with my colleagues in the City Council, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and the state DSRIP program to help make this project possible."

"NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst does an outstanding job serving the residents of Elmhurst and those in surrounding communities, and this renovated emergency department will help its staff do an even better job in providing exceptional care to patients," said Congresswoman Grace Meng. "It will include an additional 10,000 square feet of space and many enhancements and improvements. I'm proud to take part in today's kickoff ceremony, and look forward to this soon-to-be expanded facility opening its doors to the public in the very near future."

"NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst plays a vital role in serving many thousands of people each year with safe, high quality care. I congratulate NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst on this impressive new Emergency Department expansion so that patients can receive a more personalized care," said State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky. "I want to thank NYC Health + Hospitals and the staff at Elmhurst for their dedication to the patient population and for their hard work. They all demonstrate a commitment to helping people and I know the new facility will be put to good use."

"NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst's new expansion is a much needed improvement in the health services provided to our community. Elmhurst's children and adults will be better served with enhanced mental services and a state-of-the-art Stroke Center," said Assemblyman Jeffrion L. Aubry.

"The expansion of the NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst's Emergency Department means that our community will receive the much needed emergency medical services that they so desperately need," said Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz. "In a district where so many individuals rely on the emergency room as standard medical care because they aren't permitted by this administration to obtain proper health insurance, additional beds and services means that every single person is seen and treated in the most efficient and effective manner possible. I applaud my colleagues who funded this project, and share the commitment to improving the quality of life in our community."

"The Emergency Department at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst has been burdened by increasing demand from our growing community and the closure of other hospitals in the area," said Assemblyman Michael G. DenDekker. "I am pleased that NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is expanding its Emergency Department and adding cutting-edge technology to help patients. This, in tandem with the opening of a new primary care center, will improve the level of care that the hospital administers to our neighbors."

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst sees approximately 120,000 adult and pediatric visits to its Emergency Department annually, making it one of the busiest ED in the nation. As part of its Emergency Room system, Elmhurst also has an American College of Surgeons Verified Level 1 Trauma Center that provides 24-hour in-house coverage by trauma surgeons, and prompt availability of care in specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, radiology, and critical care.

In September, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst hosted a kickoff ceremony for construction of its new ambulatory surgery center, building on the hospital's goals of providing efficient, high-quality care to patients. The $5.5 Million capital expansion project, funded by the New York City Council, will feature 5,000 square feet of additional space, and includes a new operating room, four procedure rooms, 18 pre- and post-procedure beds, and comfortable waiting areas. It is scheduled to be completed in spring 2021. Additionally, the hospital also opened a new 6,500 square feet outpatient Medical Primary Care Center in June 2019 designed to reduce waiting times, increase patient satisfaction and allow clinicians to see an additional 10,000 patients a year.

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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is a major provider of hospital and ambulatory care services in the borough of Queens. The 545-bed hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center, an Emergency Heart Care Station, and a 911-Receiving Hospital. It is a premiere health care organization for key specialties, including surgery, cardiology, women's health, pediatrics, rehabilitation medicine, urgent care, renal services, and mental health services. Last year, the hospital's robust primary and specialty care practices handled nearly 700,000 ambulatory care visits and its emergency medicine teams responded to more than 130,000 emergency room encounters.

About NYC Health + Hospitals

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation, serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan--all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible.