Phelps Opens New Emergency Department - Most Innovative in Westchester - Triples Size: An ER with the latest in technology and comfort
Phelps' New 18,000-Square-Foot Emergency Department
Built at a Cost of $12 Million Raised From Private Sources
October 2008
When the newly constructed 18,000-square-foot emergency department at Phelps
Memorial Hospital Center opens its doors to the community in November, it will
be three times the size of the existing ER and will rival the finest emergency
departments in Westchester and the country for patient comfort, efficiency and
service.
"We believe that the new Emergency Department at Phelps, paid for almost
entirely by private philanthropy, is the most innovative ever built in Westchester
- and in New York State," says Keith Safian, president and CEO of Phelps.
"We are proud to provide the community with this optimal environment where
our physicians and nurses can continue to offer the superb emergency medical
care for which they are known."
More than 22,000 patients are treated in the Emergency Department at Phelps
Hospital every year, and that number is expected to grow as the population in
this Westchester region ages and more development occurs in the towns and villages
along the Hudson River waterfront. In an effort to accommodate this growth,
Phelps has built a greatly enhanced state-of-the-art emergency medical facility
holding twice as many ER patient beds as the current emergency department.
A five-year capital campaign at Phelps Memorial Hospital Center ended in May
2008,, raising $20 million from private individuals, businesses and foundations.
$12 million of that has been used to fund the construction of the new Emergency
Department. Last fall, Phelps opened a 100,000-square-foot Medical Services
Building and a 750-space parking garage where visitors park for free. When the
ER opens, the overall size of the hospital will have doubled.
"With the opening of the new Emergency Department, part of a $55 million
expansion project at Phelps, our campus has been renewed and invigorated, allowing
us to continue meeting the community's healthcare needs with an unmatched scope
of services and programs," says Bard Buneaes, chairman of the board of
directors at Phelps.
The new Emergency Department at Phelps places emphasis on patients' physical
and emotional comfort. As patients enter the department, they will be greeted
by the soothing sounds of a waterfall in the entry corridor. Instead of having
to sit in a waiting room, patients are brought directly into one of 32 private
rooms with walls, sliding glass doors and curtains for privacy, where they are
registered, evaluated and treated. Each patient room features a television,
a telephone and two chairs so that family members can remain comfortably nearby.
Family members who do not wish to be present during an evaluation have the option
of waiting in one of four family waiting areas.
Over the past year, Phelps has been increasing the depth of pediatric services
it offers to the community. As evidence of that commitment, the new emergency
department has a separate pediatric treatment area with five child-friendly
rooms that are specially decorated for pediatric patients, and an adjacent playroom
with computer games. The new emergency department also has designated treatment
rooms for specialized services, including trauma; obstetrics/gynecology; psychiatry;
orthopedics; dentistry; minor surgery; and ear, nose and throat.
Ten of the 32 treatment rooms are designated for the PromptCare area, a modern
fast-track service in the emergency department providing rapid assessment and
treatment of less urgent medical problems. Conversely, if a patient is to be
admitted to the hospital, he or she remains in a private room situated in a
separate, quiet area of the emergency department until a hospital bed is available.
Another example of enhanced patient service and comfort is that patients who
require diagnostic imaging no longer need to be transported to an inpatient
radiology suite. The new department has its own 24-hour radiology suite, complete
with digital x-ray technology and a 64-slice CT scanner with cardiac capabilities,
so that the wait for diagnostic tests and results is significantly shorter.
For patients with infectious conditions, or who require decontamination due
to radiological, biological or chemical emergencies, the new emergency department
has dedicated isolation and decontamination units with the latest technology
and protective equipment. Each of these units has a separate ventilation system
to prevent cross-contamination.
To adequately staff the 18,000-square-foot department, the hospital is increasing
full-time emergency department staff. In addition to emergency medicine physicians,
two teams comprised of nurses, technicians and a transporter are assigned to
the department. Also, hospitality representatives circulate throughout the department
to ensure that the needs of patients and their families are being met.
For a virtual tour of the new emergency department at Phelps Memorial Hospital
Center, go to www.phelpshospital.org and click on the image at the top of the
page.