In Oceanside, Mount Sinai South Nassau has unveiled its new trauma unit along with eight patient treatment rooms in its emergency department. This marks the completion of the second phase of the hospital’s $50 million, five-phase expansion project.
The project began in 2016, and once fully completed, it will nearly double the size of the hospital’s emergency department. It will also increase capacity from 65,000 annual emergency patient visits to an estimated 80,000, according to Mount Sinai South Nassau.
“The new, larger trauma unit and emergency treatment area will help us provide even better, more advanced treatment to our patients in more comfortable surroundings,” Dr. Adhi Sharma, president of Mount Sinai South Nassau. “The new trauma unit includes advanced equipment to diagnose and treat the most critically ill patients who come to our Emergency Department.”
The new trauma unit consists of three spacious trauma care bays to facilitate the flow of trauma team members as they care for patients with life-threatening injuries. Each trauma bay is equipped with cutting-edge technologies, including imaging systems that provide unobstructed viewing for intubations, difficult and emergent airway management, and bronchoscopy procedures. The unit can surge to six treatment areas in the event of a mass casualty incident.
The new patient care unit, referred to as “ED Central,” features eight patient treatment rooms, including two for pediatric patients, as well as one negative pressure room to treat patients with contagious, airborne disease.
“The entire South Shore of Nassau County depends upon our emergency department during a medical crisis and these new units will help fulfill our mission to provide the best, most modern level of emergency care,” Anthony Cancellieri, co-chair of the Mount Sinai South Nassau board of directors, said in a statement. “This is yet another milestone in our $400 million construction campaign.”
Approximately $13 million of the $50 million cost of the emergency department renovation is being funded by private donations and fundraising efforts, according to the hospital.
“This is another significant step in our mission and vision to remain the region’s leading provider of emergency medical care, 24-hours-a-day, 365 days a year,” Dr. Jay Itzkowitz, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, said in a statement. “When the expansion is completed, our neighboring communities will have an Emergency Department and a Trauma Center that will provide a more streamlined and efficient flow of care, improving outcomes and patient experience.”
Phase 1 of the expansion was completed in the first quarter of 2017 with the opening a 16-bed, $4.5 million extension to the ED that has been designed to reduce wait times, while maintaining service capacity as other parts of the department are renovated and expanded, according to the hospital. The extension features a floor design that facilitates communication between patients and companions and emergency department staff. The unit’s station faces the semi-private treatment bays that allows doctors and nurses clear lines of sight. The treatment bays are equipped with monitored beds, cardiac monitors, bedside laboratory testing capability and are furnished with high-definition, flat-screen TVs. Additional features of the extension include a dedicated waiting area for families and loved ones, restrooms and access to free Wi-Fi.
Expansion plans call for a centralized nursing station for direct oversight of patient rooms, bedside triage, an adjoining radiology area, expanded decontamination treatment facility, dedicated observation area for behavioral health and an enlarged waiting area.
Mount Sinai South Nassau is designated a Level II Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons. The verification is designated to hospitals that are committed to ensure that patients with severe injuries receive priority access to its full array of trauma care resources, including in-house coverage for trauma surgery and anesthesia. The hospital’s trauma team consists of a multidisciplinary group of specially trained health care experts that includes specialists in emergency medicine, trauma surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, and anesthesiology, as well as emergency certified nurses, social workers, and rehabilitation therapists.
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