The medical center is part of Health Quest, a health care organization based in Lagrangeville, N.Y. The new pavilion will include almost 700,000 square feet of space, which will hosue 264 private medical/surgical patient rooms and 30 critical care rooms.

A certificate of need for constructing the new $466 million inpatient pavilion has been filed with the New York State Department of Health (DOH). Contingent upon DOH’s expected approval by the end of 2015, the building will welcome its first patient in January of 2019. If all plans are approved, the pavilion is believed to be the largest construction project in the city’s history.

“Vassar Brothers Medical Center will transform patient care and the patient and family experience in the Hudson Valley with this project,” said Robert Friedberg, medical center president, in a statement. “Making that transformation requires state-of-the art facilities to provide patients with the privacy and healing environment they deserve.”

Washington, D.C.-based architect RTKL Associates is designing the new pavilion. The building’s shape follows the aesthetic of the Hudson River, with curving lines incorporated into the façade. The new private rooms will offer more than double the space per patient than the current semiprivate rooms, with added space for families and visitors. The facility will also incorporate sustainable design and is expected to receive LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Other plans for the new pavilion include an emergency department with 66 treatment rooms; a loading dock with 12 bays for materials management; a conference center with three large rooms for use by the public and service groups; additional parking with 265 spaces; a gift shop; a 240-seat cafeteria with an outdoor veranda; a green roof; and a rooftop helipad.

“The new pavilion will serve all of us fortunate enough to call the Hudson Valley our home,” Gregory Rakow, chairman of the board for Health Quest, said in a statement. “It will become a landmark and asset for the community, a site known for excellent patient care, cutting-edge services and a home for our top-level medical staff.”

The new medical center will be adjacent to Route 9 and the Hudson River will connect to the existing facility.

“One of the guiding principles in the design of the new building is that the quality of space should match the quality of care at the Medical Center,” said Steve Stokes, principal architect of the project from RTKL, in a statement.

An estimated 300 to 400 construction jobs will be created at the peak of the project., which will be partially financed through private hospital funds and hospital bonds. The Foundation for Vassar Brothers Medical Center will also conduct a fundraising campaign to help support the project.

“This project will serve as a catalyst for economic development and provide a stabilizing environment for businesses and homeowners in Poughkeepsie. It will play a major role in community revitalization and allow residents access to high-quality health care they deserve right here in our community,” Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik said in a statement.

The post Health Quest Plans New Inpatient Pavilion appeared first on HCO News.

Hurricane Sandy seriously impacted the OPD last October, leaving much of its interior and medical equipment destroyed. The 10,000-square-foot facility has been under construction since, but was refinished to match its pre-Sandy floor plan in just five months.

With offices in Richmond, Va., KLMK Group, a provider of health care planning and facility-related advisory solutions, worked with SNCH during planning, renovation and occupancy of the OPD. The company developed and maintained a project schedule and budget in collaboration with a project team of designers, contractors and SNCH users.

“KLMK could not be more honored to be on the OPD project team. It has been very inspirational watching the community come together in support of one another during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. It has truly been a pleasure to work with the South Nassau team during this renovation project,” said Bill McMahon, president and COO of KLMK, in a statement.

Earlier this year, SNCH received a grant of $303,187 from the New York State Department of Health under its Doctors Across New York Ambulatory Care Training program. The program helps train and place physicians in underserved communities to help support the state’s diverse population.

SNCH was one of 17 hospitals to be awarded funding from the program. The funding will be used to enhance opportunities for training medical residents and educating medical students in non-hospital-based ambulatory care sites, which are the most common settings that primary care providers will work in throughout their career.

The SNCH’s residency program has graduated almost 150 residents. “This grant will help our residency program fulfill its mission to train and prepare the next generation of physicians to meet the health care needs of their patients,” said Samuel Sandowski, MD, director of the Family Practice Residency Program, in a statement.

The post New York Hospital Reopens Dialysis Center, Earns Grant appeared first on HCO News.

The RHIOs include Brooklyn Health Information Exchange, e-Health Network of Long Island, and THINC, and the HIE vendors of HealthUnity, IBM, and InterSystems, have each formally joined forces with NYeC to facilitate HIE across New York’s downstate region — comprised of New York City’s five boroughs, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley and with a combined population of 13 million.

This collaboration represents a significant step in that it formalizes the creation of a single, unified statewide network for health care records. The SHIN-NY is coordinated by NYeC and will unify existing state HIE initiatives, such as within hospital systems and local RHIOs, making electronic health records secure and accessible to health care providers statewide — improving patient care and lowering costs.

New York has long been a leader in health IT investment and implementation, said New York State Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah, M.D., M.P.H. The announcement is the next step in the creation of a robust 21st century health care system that will better serve the people of New York, he said.

The post New York State Announces Statewide Network for Health Care Records appeared first on HCO News.