2005 Press Releases

Hospital receives final state approval to

build new Emergency Department

Rome Memorial Hospital cleared the final hurdle in obtaining approval from the New York State Department of Health to build its new 10,500 square foot Emergency Department, announced President/Chief Executive Officer Darlene Burns, M.S., R.N. 

 “Our Certificate of Need application was approved and the Health Department granted our request to commence construction.  Our groundbreaking ceremony will be 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25,” she said. “The $6.5 million price tag for the Emergency Department will be worth every penny when the new facility opens with greater privacy, shorter wait times and more space to deliver essential medical care.”

While awaiting approval for its Emergency Department, Rome Memorial Hospital has made significant progress on its new $4 million Energy Center.  The 4,500 square foot facility will house new emergency generators, electrical switchgear, controls, boilers and water system chillers.  Relocating the underground utilities and electric service to the energy center was necessary to accommodate the additional load of the hospital’s new Emergency Department.

“We anticipate that the Energy Center will be complete and all the equipment operational by the end of November,” said Mark Snyderman, assistant vice president outpatient services/planning.  “Over the next 6 to 8 weeks, contractors will complete the installation of all the major internal equipment and systems and install the remainder of the roof system, including the roof drains and the two boiler stacks at the east end of the Energy Center roof to vent the new boilers.”

To prepare for the new Emergency Department project, hospital administrators and emergency department staff have met regularly with the architects and engineers to finalize the details of the new facility.  According to Snyderman, the staff have been involved in selecting the color pallette, as well as key systems that are part of their day-to-day operations, including the nurse call system and headwall systems.

The new construction will nearly triple the size of the hospital’s Emergency Department from 3,700 square feet to 10,500 square feet. The project includes an additional 10,500 square feet of space below and approximately 8,000 square feet above the new Emergency Department to address other space shortage issues identified in the hospital’s recent facility master plan.  The Emergency Department construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2006. 

The Emergency Department project is being underwritten in part by the Rome Memorial Hospital Foundation’s Building a Better Tomorrow Campaign.  Through the generous support of the community, the foundation surpassed its $3 million goal in May.

“We are all very proud of this exceptional response.  Never before have so many come together, united by the vision of improving the delivery of emergency care for all of us,” said Foundation President William F. Tracy Jr.  “We take this opportunity to once again express our heartfelt thanks to you the donors for believing and investing in the vision.   With your support, our new Emergency Department is becoming reality.”