Catskill Regional Medical Center is about to start construction on an expansion of the Harris campus emergency room that hospital officials say will allow it to treat more patients more quickly.
The expansion will increase the emergency room’s space to 17,500 square feet from 7,500, and will increase the bays to 16 from nine, including a pediatric bay and four new fast-track bays for minor injuries.
CEO Steve Ruwoldt said the ER has been over capacity for years.
“It was originally built to hold a maximum of 18,000 people a year, and we’re seeing 26,000 on an annual basis. During very busy times, it gets extremely overcrowded in the emergency room.”
Half of the $5.5 million needed for the expansion came from local philanthropist Alan Gerry, who offered to match state funding for the project. The rest came from state grants.
Construction is expected to be finished in 12 to 18 months.
