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A new $14.5 million emergency department facility opened today at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion to serve the medical needs of upper Manhattan and Bronx residents. Funded through a combination of federal, state, city, and private money, the new emergency department is designed to improve the quality, efficiency, and comfort of patient care.

Funding for the new facility was made possible through generous support made available through Congressman Charles B. Rangel, New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, Assemblymen Herman "Denny" Farrell, Jr., and Adriano Espaillat among others. "I extend my sincerest gratitude to Congressman Rangel, Speaker Miller, Assemblymen Farrell and Espaillat and everyone who brought this beautiful Emergency Department to life," says Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Gifts were made by Trustees, foundations, friends, and neighbors – including two anonymous gifts of $1 million each.

"The Allen Pavilion Emergency Department cared for approximately 26,000 patients in 2003. Our new facility is three times the size, built to accommodate more than 40,000 patients per year," says Michael Fosina, vice president and executive director of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion. The immediate neighborhood of The Allen Pavilion, which is located on Broadway and 220th Street, is one of the most densely populated in the New York metropolitan area, and continues to grow.

"The Allen Pavilion offers the best emergency medicine physicians from the academic medical center environment of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in a community hospital setting. All of our Emergency Department physicians are on the faculty of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons," says Dr. James Giglio, director of emergency medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Patients who use the new Emergency Department (ED) will first encounter a larger, more comfortable waiting room and triage room with cheery blue furniture, and yellow walls decorated with art. Those with non-urgent medical needs such as an earache will be sent to a special "Fast Track" area for quick treatment. Patients in need of urgent care will be brought to the Trauma Room. Children will be treated in the ED's Pediatric Room, which is designed to be child-friendly and non-threatening. It is also separate and private from the rest of the ED. Northern Manhattan and the Bronx have some of the highest levels of asthma cases in New York City; patients having an asthma attack will be treated in the ED's specially equipped Asthma Room. Women giving birth or requiring gynecological care will be treated in two OB/GYN Rooms. Additionally, the ED is equipped with a Bio-Terrorism Decontamination Facility, with special facilities, including a separate entrance and a decontamination shower for patients who may have been exposed to an infectious or toxic substance prior to their entering the Hospital. Finally, the entire ED has computer workstations and networked physiological monitors that will notify care providers of a sudden change in a patient's vital signs from wherever they are in the unit.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion is a 226-bed full-service community hospital serving upper Manhattan and the Bronx. It has 13,500 discharges and approximately 26,000 Emergency Department visits each year. All Allen Pavilion physicians are part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and members of the faculty of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Among its specialties, the Allen Pavilion offers patients the most advanced research in geriatric medicine and heart failure; progressive educational programs in diabetes management; stress management; maternal and fetal health; and vascular surgery – all in a warm, family-friendly environment.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital – based in New York City – is the largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital in the country, with 2,397 beds. It provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory, and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, The Allen Pavilion, and The Westchester Division. One of the largest and most comprehensive health-care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education, and community service. It consistently ranks as one of the top hospitals in the country in U.S.News & World Report's guide to "America's Best Hospitals," in New York magazine's Best Doctors issue, in Solucient's top 15 major teaching hospitals, and in many other leading surveys. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the country's leading medical colleges: Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.

The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System – which includes acute-care and community hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory sites, and specialty institutes – is committed to providing high-quality, cost-effective, and conveniently accessible care to communities throughout the tri-state metropolitan region. The System serves one in four patients in the New York metropolitan area.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion Emergency Department

The new $14.5 Emergency Department facility's features include the following:

• Waiting Room. The waiting room has been redesigned with seats for nearly sixty patients and their family members. A new reception area and restrooms have also been constructed.
• Triage Room. A triage room – the area where a nurse sees patients who walk into the ED – has been redesigned. There, patients who present to the triage nurse will be given a designation of emergent, urgent, or not-urgent, and will be treated accordingly.
• Pediatric Room. Because much of the local population is composed of young families, one in eight Allen ED patients is a child. The new larger pediatric room, which is sectioned off from the adult ED, is designed to be child-friendly and non-threatening.
• Asthma Room. Northern Manhattan and the Bronx have some of the highest levels of asthma cases in New York City. The asthma room will have a capacity of one stretcher and four special asthma treatment lounge chairs, with attached oxygen.
• Non-Urgent "Fast Track" Area. The Fast Track area is designed to provide treatment for patients presenting with non-urgent complaints. Consisting of three treatment rooms and a work area, the Fast Track will allow patients to move quickly through the ED without a long wait.
• OB/GYN Rooms. There will be two OB/GYN rooms, which will provide space for care for women presenting with urgent and emergent complaints related to pregnancy or gynecological problems. Each room will have its own toilet and washbasin. The rooms will double as isolation rooms, and are equipped with negative pressure ventilation to address infectious or toxic nature conditions.
• Trauma Room. The Allen ED has been a designated 911-receiving center since 1996. The new trauma unit has been placed in closer proximity to the ambulance bay to allow for immediate intervention for patients presenting with life- or limb-threatening trauma. The unit offers state-of-the-art equipment.
• Bio-Terrorism Decontamination Facility. As the threat of bio-terrorism has become a reality for New York City, the new ED has been designated with special facilities to handle and decontaminate patients who may have been exposed to an infectious or toxic substance prior to their entering the Hospital. A decontamination shower is a specialized room, accessible from the exterior of the building as well as from the interior.
• Cast Room. The cast room is a treatment area for patients who present with bone fractures or dislocations.
• Multipurpose Room. A conference room will be used for a variety of purposes, including teaching presentations, conferences, and meetings.