By Bill Parry
The steel work for Mount Sinai Queens’ $125 million construction project in Astoria has been completed.
Hospital officials, community leaders and elected officials gathered Aug. 20 for a “topping off” ceremony for the new building annex, the Ambulatory Care Pavilion.
As part of the ceremony, attendees signed a structural steel beam before it was hoisted into place and secured on top of the building’s frame. Doctors, nurses and administrators added their signatures to the steel beam.
“It is fitting that today we are creating a new chapter in Mount Sinai’s history right here in Queens,” Mount Sinai Health System President and CEO Kenneth L. Davis said. “This area, where the hospital stands today, has been a healing ground and has provided healthcare services to the community for over 120 years. Today we are proud to continue and improve that tradition.”
The pavilion will feature a new five-story building, with the infrastructure in place to add a sixth floor, with an enlarged emergency department, new operating suites, a multispecialty outpatient care and advanced imaging and laboratory services. The extension to the original building is expected to be completed in 2016 and the hospital remains open during the duration of the construction project.
“Mount Sinai Queens is transforming, and leading, healthcare in the 21st century, and our new building represents the model hospital for the future of medicine,” Mount Sinai Hospital President and COO Dr. David L. Reich said. “We are seeing the gold standard rise here before our eyes, and it is fantastic to see.”
During the “topping off” event, hospital officials announced a $700,000 donation from George S. Kaufman, chairman of nearby Kaufman Astoria Studios, for which the entrance area to the Ambulatory Care Pavilion will be named.
“Mr. Kaufman’s generous gift helps ensure that Mount Sinai Queens can continue to play a major role in improving the health and quality of life for the residents of Queens,” Mount Sinai Queens Executive Director Caryn Schwab said. “Kaufman Astoria Studios has long played an integral part in the creative and economic vibrancy of our city.”
The Kaufman Astoria Studios Entrance will welcome visitors and their families to the pavilion.
“When you are a member of a community, you help your neighbors,” Kaufman said. “We are thrilled to support Mount Sinai and look forward to helping provide better healthcare for the people of western Queens and throughout the borough.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
