Fort Greene
Three cheers for the Brooklyn Hospital Center, which broke ground on a state-of-the-art new Emergency Department to provide Brooklynites with speedy lifesaving care.
The newly remodeled facility — located at 121 Dekalb Ave. between Ashland Place and Fort Greene Place — will help bring better emergency care to patients with traumatic injury and illness, according to the hospital’s president and CEO.
“We already serve more than 70,000 patients each year in our Emergency Department,” said Gary Terrinoni. “This renovation will result in a state-of-the-art facility within lifesaving minutes of our neighbors’ homes.”
The $25 million effort is funded by a New York State Department of Health Transformation Grant, and will take 18 months to complete.
Hospital honchos and elected leaders — including local State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery and Assemblyman Walter Mosley — held a groundbreaking ceremony at the new sight on July 10 to officially kick off construction.
When complete, the new department will feature “bright, airy spaces” that will accommodate the growing number of patients who seek treatment at the hospital — which first started serving Brooklynites in 1845.
The renovation will include a newly constructed lobby, waiting areas, assessment and treatment rooms, and a quick registration system to accelerate patient flow, according to Liz Fontaine, the chair of the hospital’s board.
Hospital reps hope the state-of-the-art design will help improve already-impressive emergency rapid responses that the hospital offers to their northern Brooklyn neighbors. For example, the hospital’s response time for heart attacks is among the best in the state — clocking under 90 minutes for first responders to intervene in 100 percent of cases.
Standing O congratulates the hospital on the groundbreaking!
— Aidan Graham
