BY MICHAEL RICONDA

Nyack – The Nyack Chamber of Commerce held a special After Hours meeting on Tuesday to announce and describe new additions and expansions it plans to make to its emergency room.

The new layout will expand the hospital’s floor space by 8300 square feet. The new project will include both an expanded ambulance dropoff zone and cutting edge technological updates, including radiological and CT scans specifically for the ER and an updated communication system with ambulatory services.

The structure of the ER will see significant changes as well. Nine new beds will be added to the trauma area, complete with surge capacity, and overall, 31 beds will be present by completion, 21 of which will be private suites.

“[Suites are] what people want and expect these days,” Nyack Hospital President David Fried explained. “I think it will reduce everybody’s stress because if nothing else, if you’re sick at the B level, you don’t want to hear someone sick at the C level next door through the curtain.”

Also included are an expanded emergency pediatric care area, specialized areas for obstetrics and bariatrics, a dedicated decontamination room, and a bereavement room.

Fried announced the emergency room was being revamped to accommodate both increasing volumes of patients and a greater need for up-to-date technology and services. He reported that almost 60,000 people visited the ER last year alone, with an average of 165 each day and about 11,000 being transferred from the ER directly to the general hospital population, with numbers expected to change with the shifting role of the ER beyond its traditional role as an emergency services.

Funding for the project is underway and has made significant progress, with the hospital already raising $4.5 million of the $8 million required for the changes. Fried explained to local businesspeople that the hospital is prepared to go to the public to request more funds, including a campaign to solicit both individual and corporate donations. Businesses were also encouraged to get the word out on the campaign and perhaps assist in the drive.

“If you do give your time, if you do give your talent to helping us, if you do make a significant donation or even a minor one, it encourages us all,” Fried stated to the business leaders. “We’re encouraged whenever people get involved and help along the way.”

Given the continued fundraising, Fried explained the hospital does not wish to rush the project with a definite timetable or large loans yet. They are, however shooting for a tentative beginning date sometime near the end of this year.