Vassar Brothers To Open New Emergency Department, Trauma Center

Michael Woyton
·2 min read

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Vassar Brothers Medical Center will open the doors to receive patients in its new Emergency Department and Trauma Center Saturday and will open the remainder of the new pavilion Monday.

The expansive emergency and trauma center is designed to cut down wait times and put doctors directly at the bedside, according to a news release.

Once visitation restrictions because of the new coronavirus are lifted, patients who are ill or recovering from surgery will be able to be joined by family members to spend the night, hospital officials said.

The pavilion, which was the largest construction project in the history of the city of Poughkeepsie, is eight floors and 752,000 square feet. There are 294 rooms in which patients can recover from illness or surgery.

Medical center President Peter Kelly said Vassar Brothers has been an integral part of the community for almost 135 years, and the new pavilion will transform how people receive health care in the Hudson Valley.

"This is about providing the privacy and healing environment our community members deserve," he said.

The building sits on the 9-acre medical center campus adjacent to Route 9 and the Hudson River. It connects to the main campus and features amenities to enable doctors, nurses and care teams to deliver quality patient care, according to a spokesman.

New individual patient rooms are double the size of other semiprivate rooms in the medical center and provide ample space for families and visitors.

The pavilion also incorporates the latest in sustainable design and is expected to receive LEED certification for energy efficiency.

According to hospital officials, the building also includes:

  • 264 private rooms on four floors.

  • A 30-room Intensive Care Unit.

  • An emergency and trauma center with 66 treatment rooms and ample parking for ambulances and the public.

  • A flexible conference center that accommodates up to 300 people for use by the public and service groups.

  • A 220-seat cafeteria with outdoor dining.

  • 13 surgical suites.

  • Green roofs to assist in water management and patient views.

  • A rooftop helicopter landing pad.

There will be no public grand opening for the new pavilion until a later date, a hospital spokesman said.

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This article originally appeared on the Mid Hudson Valley Patch