Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - The final steel beam is in place atop Saint Joseph's Hospital Health Center's new emergency services building. The milestone was marked with a ceremony today, incorporating all the people who are working together to make the project happen.
Emergency service providers have been working on the plans alongside the hospital since the project began, to make sure the facility includes everything they need to transport patients quickly and safely.
Paramedic Susie Surprenant is the head of the Central New York Emergency Medical Services' Regional Council. This is the third emergency department-related project she's seen, but only the first one she's been asked to help design. In order to safely deliver patients to the Emergency Department, she says paramedics want wider sidewalks - 13 feet across - and a large canopy overhead.
The current Emergency Room is up a big hill and tight on space. Once they get up the hill, there's another challenge. They have to try to back the ambulances up, just using their side mirrors, despite pillars being in the way. "You have cars coming in and out, you have patients coming in and out. It's very hard for EMS to get patients in," said Surprenant.
"The coverage is very important to them. They say they definitely want to make sure. These are very ill patients and they wanted to be under an adequate canopy so they could pull stretcher safely and the patients would be safe," said Director of Engineering and Construction Marylin Galimi. "They wanted to make sure we did all the digging we did in order to provide a flat area for them to safely pull stretchers out of ambulances."
Ambulances will have their own entrance and walk-ins a different one. The inside is also designed with efficiency and safety in mind.
The construction of an Emergency Services Building is part of a $220 million project. It is expected to be done in September of next year. The emergency services building is part of phase two the project.
