STATEN ISLAND, NY – New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York State’s First Lady Michelle Paterson and hospital officials recently cut the ribbon on a new two-story trauma and emergency room building for Staten Island University Hospital.
The new Elizabeth A. Connelly Emergency and Trauma Center triples the emergency room capacity and serves as the major ED facility in the borough, according to Joseph Weiner, director of facility development at North Shore LIJ Health System, which owns SIUH.
"Staten Island's need for these healthcare facilities is urgent," said Brahim Ardolic, SIUH's chairman of emergency medicine. The hospital sees 100,000 emergency room visits each year, but the existing ER was built to handle 25,000.
"This new structure provides 56 stations, decreases wait times, improves patient confidentiality and privacy and introduces the newest technology," said Ardolic.
The $39-million addition, placed on an angle to the hospital's original 1979 structure, will house a 39,000-square-foot emergency and trauma center on the first floor and a 24,900-square-foot educational center on the second floor.
Ardolic said the education center would be used for residency programs for doctors, medical education for the community and a medical library.
Jenny Freeman, Skanska's project executive, said the project, which includes improvements to the hospital's existing facilities, was put on a fast track to open six weeks earlier than planned.
