Jamaica Hospital Medical Center has broken ground on a state-of-the-art Emergency Department in Richmond Hill, Queens. The $150 million project will more than double the size of the existing department and create a Level 1 trauma center, isolation rooms, and two new critical care units with 22 ICU beds.
When complete, the Emergency Department will be equipped to treat more than 150,000 patients each year. The existing facility serves closer to 120,000 patients annually, but was only designed to handle 60,000 patients, and has overstretched the hospital and its staff for a generation.
“For too long, underserved communities like the ones Jamaica Hospital tends to were neglected, and the state failed to deliver the resources and support they need,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said. “As governor, my administration is committed to righting the wrongs of the past, prioritizing health equity, and working to strengthen health care systems across the state.”
Jamaica Hospital was awarded $150 million through New York’s Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program. Announced earlier this year, the grant program will fund 127 healthcare projects with a pool of more than $658 million of state funding.
“This historic $150 million investment is nothing short of monumental for Southeast Queens and The World’s Borough as a whole,” said Queens borough president Donovan Richards. “Not only will this funding build a new, state-of-the-art emergency department at Jamaica Hospital that will better serve families that rely on the medical center for critical care, it will save lives, help reverse decades of disparities, and tell Southeast Queens residents that they matter.”
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews