ALBANY, NY – Consigli Construction announced it has been hired as the construction management firm in charge of building Albany Medical Center’s new Pediatric Emergency Department, the first of its kind for the region and the only one of its kind in northeastern New York and western New England.
The four-story, 70,500-square-foot Pediatric Emergency Department, expected to be completed late 2018, will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Located adjacent to the current Emergency Department, it will provide a setting designed specifically for the needs of children and their families, and offer access to the full range of pediatric specialists.
“We’re honored to build a brand new, state-of-the-art medical facility that will save the lives of thousands of children,” said Greg Burns, President of Consigli Construction. “There’s no better feeling than to know that your work will have a direct impact on children in your community. We’re thankful for this tremendous opportunity and are excited to get to work.”
“Building this Pediatric Emergency Department represents our steadfast commitment to provide the highest quality, most comprehensive and most appropriate health care to the children in our region,” said James J. Barba, president and CEO of Albany Med. “Over the past 30 years, our children’s hospital has attracted expert and compassionate pediatric physicians and surgeons from around the world so children from our region can receive treatment for a variety of conditions and traumas without having to travel far from home. Now, our children will be able to receive that emergency care in a ‘place of their own.”
Annually, there are nearly 16,000 pediatric visits to Albany Med’s Emergency Department: 80 percent of the children are treated and released, while 20 percent are admitted to the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med.
Features of the Pediatric Emergency Department will include:
- Triage area to immediately assess the severity of illness or injury
- Fast-track unit for children and teens with less serious conditions
- Observation unit for stays up to 23 hours
- Private rooms designed for the safety and comfort of children and parents
- On-site X-ray and imaging
- Negative pressure rooms for suspected contagious disease
- Peaceful and child-friendly décor and child-size equipment
- Games, toys and television to provide a distraction for children
- Valet parking
- Easy access for ambulances
- Nearby rooftop medical helicopter pad
In addition, the facility will be staffed with physicians, nurses and mid-level providers trained in pediatric emergency medicine.
Work on the $50 million project is expected to start this spring after the demolition of the P-Building, which formerly held the Emergency Department’s administrative offices.
Consigli Construction is managing construction of the Pediatric Emergency Department and Hyman Hayes Associates is the architect for the project.
A high-resolution rendering of the new Pediatric Emergency Department is available at www.amc.edu/PedsED.