New Emergency Department at LIJ Medical Center

Patients seeking emergency care and services at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center will experience shorter waiting times thanks to the expansion of the Emergency Department (ED).
Hospital officials and members of the Mack family gathered recently to celebrate the completion of the first phase of The Phyllis and William Mack Emergency Center, a $34 million project that will double the size of the current ED.
The 18,500 square-foot new building at LIJ in New Hyde Park should be open to the public later this summer. An additional 18,000 square-foot space will be renovated during the second phase of this construction.
When fully completed this 36,500 square-foot Emergency Center will feature 41 private exam rooms. Of these rooms, 23 will be for acute-care patients, eight will be &#8220fast-track” for patients with less severe injuries and illnesses, and ten will be for pediatric and adult psychiatric patients.
The Emergency Center will also offer patients a new, more accessible parking lot next to the drop-off area, as well as waiting and decontamination areas. The waiting area is now a two-story lobby filled with light and living room style features.
The new decontamination area is located right off the ambulance dock and will be used to treat individuals who have been victims of catastrophic events, such as a bioterrorism or chemical attack. This area contains shower stalls used for the decontamination process and which drain into an independent reservoir.
President and Chief Executive Officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, Michael J. Dowling said, &#8220At LIJ, we currently treat about 65,000 patients a year in a facility that was built to accommodate 40,000. Within the next five years, we expect 75,000 patients will be coming through our ED. This new facility will provide patients and their families with the utmost comfort and privacy, and go a long way toward reducing waiting times.”
Chair of Emergency Medicine at LIJ, Thomas Kwiatkowski, said that over the years, more and more people have visited the ED, especially the growing communities of Queens and Nassau counties, the elderly and the uninsured. He said, &#8220Considering that about 40 percent of all hospital admissions come through the ED, this expansion will allow us to better meet the needs of the diverse communities served by LIJ in Queens and Nassau counties.”
The facility is named in the honor of the Mack family - a generous supporter of LIJ for decades. Mr. Mack's father, H. Bert Mack, was one of the founding fathers of LIJ in the 1940's.