Medical Center Debuts New ER
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After 18 months of construction and renovation, Nassau University Medical Center will unveil its new $36 million Emergency Department Monday night. |
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The project, which began in December 2009, has transformed the once drab and colorless East Meadow trauma care center into a bright and spacious wing with stateof-the-art technology. It opens for patients on May 31 after midnight and those needing emergency care should come through the Hempstead Turnpike entrance. "This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix what needed to be fixed," said Arthur Gianelli, president and chief executive of the NuHealth System, which manages the medical center, during a preview tour last week. "This puts us in a position where we can be competitive," with other area hospitals. |
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The new 27,000-square-foot department, converted from old classrooms and a 1,000 -seat cafeteria, is triple the size of the old ER. It has 32 glass-enclosed treatment bays, a large trauma room, two resuscitation rooms, a biohazard decontamination chamber and a crisis intervention center for sexual abuse victims. |
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Other renovations at the 531-bed hospital, which opened in 1974, include expanded diagnostic services, with a $2-million, 320slice computed tomography scanner, the most powerful X-ray imaging machine in its class. The device is one of only two on Long Island; the other is at Stony Brook University Medical Center. |
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The Emergency Department, which handled 73,000 patient visits in 2010, also looks dramatically better. Out are the dull brown walls and poor quality lighting. In their place are a white and gray color scheme, natural lighting and a revamped front entranceway with additional seating. |
Funding for the project came from several sources. A state health care program grant provided about $16 million. Those funds required a hospital match of $7 million, which came from the Nassau County Tobacco Securitization, a one-time payment by cigarette makers to reimburse states for health care costs related to smoking.
Another $13 million came from borrowed capital funds, while the new crisis center was funded through a $200,000 federal grant obtained by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola).
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Meanwhile, construction union officials praised the development as a boon for Long Island's sagging building industry. The project created nearly 150 jobs for building trade union members; about 25 percent of the work went to women and minority-owned businesses, Gianelli said. Article By: Robert Brodsky |
