Montefiore Mount Vernon unveils expanded emergency department
MOUNT VERNON, New York (WABC) -- Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital has completed a major upgrade to its emergency department as part of a multiyear, $41 million statefunded renovation effort.
Mayor Shawn PattersonHoward toured the expanded space on Thursday, calling the improvements long overdue.
"I'm really, really excited. I've been a patient here, and so to see the transformation, is amazing," she said.
The hospital's overhaul follows the December opening of a new wellness center. This latest phase triples the size of the emergency department, adding two triage rooms and expanding the area for patients whose injuries do not require a bed. The redesign also includes 11 new beds, each in a larger bay intended to improve efficiency and patient care.
Reggie Jordan, the hospital's executive director, said the expansion strengthens access to care for local residents.
"So the residents of Mount Vernon can receive inpatient, outpatient and emergency care right here in their community versus having to travel outside," he said.
Hospital leaders said the additional space will help staff focus more fully on patients.
"Whenever a provider or nursing team and the entire team is caring for a patient, you're not so much looking at if I'm going to bump into a wall, you're laser focused on that patient because that patient needs us in that moment," said Dr. Victoria Adewunmi.
The upgrades mark a significant shift from the hospital's earlier plans. Montefiore announced in 2019 that it intended to close the facility and replace it with an emergency room and outpatient clinic a mile away. The proposal drew intense backlash, prompting the health system to revise its approach and commit to maintaining full levels of care at the current site.
"To lose this hospital would not just be detrimental to the city of Mount Vernon. It would be detrimental to the region," PattersonHoward said.
The expanded emergency department is expected to become operational by the end of the summer, pending a state health department inspection.
Additional improvements - including new behavioral health suites and six new operating rooms - are scheduled to open by next fall.
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