HUMC holds ground breaking ceremonyFriday, May 25, 2012
BY LIANNA ALBRIZIO
STAFF WRITER
Hackensack Chronicle
HACKENSACK — At the St. John Circle outside the Hackensack University Medical Center, city officials, hospital leaders, staff and community members gathered to mark the long-awaited expansion and renovation plans of the hospital and the Emergency and Trauma Center in a groundbreaking ceremony May 17.
AMY NEWMAN/THE RECORD
Hackensack University Medical Center Dr. Joseph Feldman, chairman of the emergency department, President and CEO Robert C. Garrett, board of governors Chairman Joseph Sanzari, foundation board Chairman Joe Simunovich, break ground on May 17 on the new emergency trauma department expansion project. "It is a pleasure," said Robert Garrett, president and CEO of the hospital. "This is a milestone to Hackensack University Medical Center."
In 30 months, the 775-bed facility on Atlantic Street that made U.S. News and World Report's 2011-12 Best Hospitals list, will see an expansion of 15,000 square feet of new space and 35,000 square feet of renovation to yield what Dr. Joe Feldman, Chairman of the Emergency Trauma Department, says will increase efficiency and offer state-of-the-art facility to its patients.
The Emergency and Trauma Center will be annexed with specialty care areas for cardiac, cancer, geriatrics and trauma patients as well as three triage stations. Curtained cubicles in the hospital will be transformed into private treatment suites to better accommodate patients and their families. A treatment area for cancer patients dubbed "Susan's Suite," after a patient, will also be constructed in honor of the Zabransky and Hughes families, members of which were patients at the facility.
In his opening speech, Garrett thanked the families for their vision and turning a tragedy into something that will help families for years to come.
"Thank you for your generosity and vision," he said. "Rest assured every patient will be treated with the best care."
The three-phase project, the initial phases of which are slated to be completed by the end of 2013, will have a "0 percent impact on current operations," Feldman said.
The $35 million project was funded with aid from the Hackensack University Foundation, a $500,000 donation from the Auxiliary and a $1 million pledge from Joseph Sanzari, chairman of the board.
"It's a great honor to be affiliated with Hackensack hospital," said Sanzari. "I was born here. The accomplishments we've made in the last two years are unbelievable."
Hackensack UMC treats more than 100,000 patients on a yearly basis and is the only emergency department in the county and the New York Metropolitan area to have lowered the risk of mortality rate by over 42 percent. The nonprofit teaching and research hospital is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in the state. It is committed to its community through fundraising and community events.
Feldman said the project is something he has been waiting to begin since be he first started his career at the hospital 15 years ago.
"We finally put it together," he said. "Let the shovels begin."
A dedication ceremony is planned for 2015.
Email: albrizio@northjersey.com