News 2009

Rochester General Hospital Celebrates the Dedication of the New B. Thomas Golisano Pavilion and Emergency Center

State-of-the-Art Emergency and Cardiac Care Center Opens October 7, 2009

Golisano ED at RGH Ribbon Cutting

Rochester, NYSeptember 9, 2009 – Rochester General Hospital physicians, staff and board members joined B. Thomas Golisano on Wednesday September 16th, to celebrate the dedication of the new B. Thomas Golisano Pavilion and Emergency Center. The Pavilion, which will house state-of-the-art treatment areas for emergency medicine and the nationally recognized Rochester Heart Institute (RHI), is a centerpiece of Rochester General’s $55 million Master Facility Plan. Mr. Golisano, founder and Chairman of Paychex, donated $9 million to help fund the new facility.

The new Emergency Department, which will occupy the first floor of the Pavilion, will open for patients on October 7. Two major components of RHI - The Sands Family Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) and the Przysinda Family Foundation Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology Lab - will be housed on the second floor of the building, linked to the E.D. by a dedicated elevator that cuts critical time for life-saving treatment for patients with acute cardiac events.The CTICU is scheduled to open on October 3, while the new Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology Labs will be used for patients beginning October 18.

Construction of the Golisano Pavilion began in September 2007 and represents Phase I of an extensive renovation and modernization project. Work will now being to renovate the space that house the previous E.D. and CTICU and will eventually provide additional space and amenities. That phase will continue through December 2011.

“Speaking for all associated with Rochester General Hospital, we are extremely grateful for Mr. Golisano’s generosity and support of our institution,” said Mark C. Clement, President and CEO of Rochester General Health System. “His gift, and the wonderful new facility that it helped fund, will enable Rochester General to continue to meet the needs of a growing patient population.The level of care we provide to those who walk through our doors has been nationally recognized, and his gift helps ensure that we continue that level of care and that the facility that houses those services better reflects the world class care provided within.It’s clearly another example of the wonderful spirit of philanthropy and love for community that Tom consistently demonstrates."

B. Thomas Golisano Pavilion and Emergency Center Highlights

The new B. Thomas Golisano Pavilion and Emergency Center, which is part of a master facility plan that is bringing a true renaissance to the RGH campus, will offer patients:

  • An Emergency Department that, when all phases are complete, will be double the size of the previous E.D., with discrete areas to efficiently accommodate changing patient populations. The number of acute care beds will increase from 65 to 87.
  • A separate Pediatric Emergency Services within the main ED, with direct access from the ambulance entrance and a dedicated waiting area for pediatric patients and their families.
  • A 64-channel CT Scanner nearby to provide patients and staff with efficient access and enhanced diagnostic imaging.
  • A designated, discrete, Crisis Intervention Area for patients in need of psychiatric care.
  • More beds to create a Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) for observation/diagnosis of patients who may require hospitalization.
  • A new Trauma Suite that doubles the capacity for treating patients with serious injuries or illnesses, with new, leading-edge monitoring equipment.

“It was clear that, from a space and amenity perspective, the existing E.D. could not meet the demands of the increasing number of patients who seek emergency care services each year,” said Keith Grams, MD, Chief of Emergency Medicine at RGH. “We have an extremely skilled, dedicated and passionate staff that cares deeply about providing the highest levels of care to our patients. We are all thrilled with the ways in which the new space will enhance the delivery of care, and the potential that exists for further improvement down the road as we anticipate an annual volume that approaches 100,000 patients per year.”

Heart Institute to also Benefit from Project

The Rochester Heart Institute at RGH, designated eight times as a Solucient Top 100 cardiac hospital, an accomplishment matched by only 11 other hospitals, will also benefit from the project.

  • Six catheterization procedure rooms will be relocated to and expanded on the second floor, including electrophysiology labs to meet the rapidly growing need for cardiac ablative and device procedures. Adequate space is also available for additional catheterization labs as needed.
  • A new 12-bed Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) is located next to the Catheterization Labs and connected to the main hospital operating rooms. The new CTICU features private and larger rooms, which will enhance the prevention of infection and improve the patients’ recovery process. WiFi Internet access and other amenities have also been added for visitor comfort and convenience.
  • A direct, dedicated elevator connects the ED to the Cardiac Catheterization area to allow even faster intervention for patients with heart attack symptoms as well as access to inpatient areas on the 4th and 5th floors.

The total cost of the B. Thomas Golisano Pavilion and Emergency Center is approximately $38 million. Mr. Golisano’s gift of $9 million, made in March, 2005, is the largest single gift from a living donor Rochester General has ever received. Gifts of $1 million or more were made by six other donors.

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