Rendering of planned addition
POUGHKEEPSIE – “People should receive the best possible healthcare close to where they work or live, and not have to travel,” Vassar Brothers Medical Center President Robert Friedberg said Wednesday. He addressed the community at the 10th annual state of the hospital breakfast where he said it is Vassar Brothers’ responsibility “to make sure that high-level, high-quality care is available in the community.” To do that, he said the hospital, which is the flagship of the Health Quest system, “will continue to extend and enhance the things we offer.”
Vassar just announced it will build an almost 700,000 square foot, seven-level inpatient pavilion with 294 private rooms. The hospital has applied for state permission to build the facility; groundbreaking is scheduled for May 2016 with it ready for patient car in January 2019.
In the last year, Friedberg said the hospital has seen a more than seven percent growth in discharges, at over 20,000 and more than 68,000 emergency room visits, up from 64,000 in 2013.
The hospital also reinvested some $25 million in 2014 by building a 7,000 square foot addition to the emergency department, a $2 million project that opened last September. The cafeteria was renovated last year to the tune of $1.65 million and a $3.4 million project is underway to revamp the main lobby.
Other advances included Vassar Brothers being designated a primary stroke center by the Joint Commission last year.
