New York Gov. Kathy Hochul joined several Queens elected officials and leaders of the borough's Jamaica Hospital Medical Center on June 16 for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the expansion of the facility's new Emergency Department (ED). The project is geared toward improving access to quality emergency care in southeast Queens and neighboring communities.
Approximately 500 attendees were gathered outside in the Physicians Parking Lot, at 89-6 135th St., which will become the site of the new emergency room, reported QNS.com, an online Queens news service.
The construction is the first major expansion of the hospital's emergency department in over three decades. The governor awarded Jamaica Hospital $150 million in funds for the project as part of New York's Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program and is the largest such allocation in state history.
The new ED will double in size and have the capacity to treat more than 150,000 patients annually. In addition to increased space, the emergency room, designed with efficiency and safety in mind, will incorporate a layout that allows for better patient privacy, experience and safety.
Jamaica Hospital's expanded ED also will feature more isolation rooms with negative air pressure to prevent the spread of airborne diseases such as COVID-19. Trauma rooms equipped with the latest technology also will be added to support the demands of the busiest trauma center in New York City, the hospital noted in a news release.
Another component of the upgrade includes the addition of 22 intensive care unit (ICU) beds, bringing the total to 48. The need for an increase in ICU beds was made apparent during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.
There also will be space for bariatric and geriatric care, as well as mental health and drug dependent treatment areas.
"With this new beginning, we say that this community matters, this hospital matters, and we're going to continue working together with this $150 million investment in the future of the health of this community," Hochul said at the groundbreaking. "And as a result, more lives will be saved."
She also noted the Herculean efforts currently being made by the doctors and nurses at Jamaica Hospital's ED to save lives from fentanyl and opioid overdoses.
"We have so much more to do, but this community deserves the finest institution, the finest facilities and the finest opportunity to get the best outcomes in life," Hochul added.
During his remarks, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. announced an additional $3 million for the hospital, as he commended its nurses, doctors and administrative staff who have taken care of Queens.
"People have started to talk about how the city of New York has opened up, but may we not forget that the reason the city … is open right now is because of our healthcare heroes and sheroes who put their lives on the line at the height of this pandemic," Richards said. "To the families of southeast Queens, we know high-quality healthcare has been hard to come by and we know Jamaica Hospital has done everything in its power to ensure that you get quality healthcare. [So] today, this investment is for you as well. This is an investment in each and every resident — from Rockaway to southeast Queens."
Expansion Needed to Keep Up With Hospital's Growth
Jamaica Hospital has been part of the Queens community since 1891, noted QNS.com.
Over the years, Jamaica Hospital has made improvements to meet the needs of its community. One such upgrade involved building a comprehensive campus in 1989, which included an ED with a capacity to treat 60,000 patients. The hospital's patient population has grown significantly since then, however, creating a greater demand for emergency services. Currently, Jamaica Hospital's ED takes in double the number of patients that it did 34 years ago.
When the planned ED is finished in 2027, Jamaica Hospital noted, it will be able to accommodate 150,000 patients annually.
Construction is slated to begin on the project in August.
The Jamaica Hospital Medical Center cares for a culturally diverse population of nearly 800,000 people each year. It is the only Joint Commission accredited Comprehensive Stroke Center in Queens, and a Primary Heart Attack Center that provides essential services to the community. The facility also has been named one of America's 250 Best Hospitals by Healthgrades for four consecutive years.
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