Friday, October 16, 2015
The New York State Department of Health has approved the certificate of need for Health Quest’s flagship, Vassar Brothers Medical Center, to construct a new patient pavilion that will change the face of healthcare in the Hudson Valley.
“The state looked at our proposal and unanimously approved our goal to transform patient care and the patient and family experience in the Hudson Valley with this project,” medical center President Robert Friedberg said. “We will now continue the good work and partnership we have begun with the City of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County so construction can begin next summer.”
The 696,000-square-foot, seven-level inpatient pavilion features 264 private medical/surgical patient rooms and 30 critical care rooms. It also includes an emergency department/trauma center with 66 treatment rooms, ample parking for ambulances and the public, new operating rooms, a cafeteria with an outdoor veranda and a flexible conference center with three large rooms for use by the public and service groups.
“We are now one major step closer to opening what will be one of the finest medical facilities, not just in the Hudson Valley or New York state, but in the country,” said Greg Rakow, chairman of the Health Quest Board of Directors. “This landmark will serve as the hub for all the exemplary components of the Health Quest system.”
Groundbreaking is scheduled for July 2016 and the first patient will be cared for in the building in January of 2019.
Total cost of the project is $466 million. It is believed to be the largest construction project in City of Poughkeepsie history.
Designed by international architectural firm RTKL Associates Inc., the innovative building will have a distinctive shape that follows the aesthetic of the Hudson River. The new private rooms will offer more than double the space per patient than the current semiprivate rooms. They will provide ample space for families and visitors, who provide a vital role in healing and care. The facility will also incorporate the latest in sustainable design and is expected to receive LEED certification.
The new building on the Medical Center property adjacent to Route 9 and overlooking the Hudson River will connect to the existing facility, parts of which are 128 years old. The design features amenities to enable caregivers to deliver the best patient care possible. The building is designed for staff efficiency.
An estimated 300 to 400 construction jobs will be created at the peak of the project. Funding comes from private hospital funds and hospital bonds. The Foundation for Vassar Brothers Medical Center will conduct a fundraising campaign to help support the project.
The approval occurred on Thursday, Oct. 8, at a meeting of the Public Health and Planning Council of the New York State Department of Health in New York City.
Vassar Brothers Medical Center has served the Hudson Valley since 1887. It houses the first and only cardiothoracic surgery center in the Mid-Hudson Valley, a state-of-the-art birthing center, pioneering centers for advanced surgery and wound care, the area’s only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Division of NeuroInterventional Surgery for advanced treatment of aneurysms and acute stroke.
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