Elmhurst Hospital Opens ER Wing For Children

Elmhurst Hospital broke ground this week on a new pediatric emergency room to support a growing number of patients walking through its doors.
"Elmhurst has grown dramatically and still continues to grow significantly," said Peter Velez, senior vice president of Queens Health Network. "We are here to serve our patients and its our goal to effectively and efficiently take care of them in a manner that they deserve."
While the hospital currently has a pediatric unit, plans call for the room to be renovated and will be used to expand the adult and psychiatric emergency rooms, increasing the departments total space to 28,000 square feet from 17,900.
When the emergency wing at Elmhurst Hospital was created in 1983, it was designed to handle 60,000 patients annually. This past year, more than 150,000 patients came through their door.
The two-story wing will cost $13 million to build. Completion of the project is expected to take two years and will be completed in three phases. Construction is not expected to disrupt patient care.
State Senator John Sabini and Councilman Hiram Monserrate helped secure funding for the Elmhurst Hospital project.