For Immediate Release
June 25, 2021
Contact: Emily Walsh, [email protected]
Brooklyn, New York — Officials from Maimonides Medical Center, frontline healthcare workers, local elected officials and community leaders broke ground today on what will be the site of Southern Brooklyn’s first freestanding Emergency Department once construction is complete.
“Turning the former Victory Memorial site into a modern emergency care center is a huge win for the communities of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights,” said Maimonides Medical Center President and CEO Kenneth Gibbs. “This groundbreaking marks another key investment we are making in Brooklyn to better serve our neighbors and improve outcomes for those who need emergency care.”
The new 15,000 square foot emergency department will be staffed year-round by a team of approximately 75 healthcare professionals, including 20 board certified Emergency Medicine specialists. It is expected to intake more than 16,000 patients in its first year of operation.
“Communities across southern Brooklyn will benefit significantly from the enhanced care and expanded facilities that will be provided with the construction of this freestanding emergency department,” said New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “Those who need emergency care will have access to the clinical excellence and exceptional patient care that medical personnel from Maimonides provide, and patients and their families will be able to use this upgraded, modern care facility for years to come. The groundbreaking of this new department shows our commitment to keep pace with the latest standards in the delivery of healthcare services, and I’m grateful to see this investment advance the health needs of our community.”
“Having Maimonides Hospital nearby has always been a great asset to Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights but having their modern emergency care center right here in our backyard at the former Victory Memorial site will be an absolute game changer,” New York City Councilman Justin Brannan said. “This a colossal win for our community and something we’ve been working on together for quite a while. When there is an emergency, every second counts and there is no doubt that having this new Maimonides care center here will save lives. I’m very thankful to finally be able to share this news with everyone.”
The new emergency department is one of several expansion projects Maimonides has launched in the past 12 months. Late last year, Maimonides announced it was starting construction on a dedicated Pediatric Emergency Department located on the hospital’s main campus in Borough Park. Maimonides is also modernizing its cardiac catheterization laboratory and cardiothoracic intensive care unit at its main facility in Borough Park.
“Having a new freestanding emergency department in this area of Brooklyn meets a substantial need for this community,” said the Chair of Emergency Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center, Dr. John Marshall. “We know there is significant demand in the community to receive compassionate, patient-centered care close to home. This new facility will accommodate walk-up and ambulance arrivals and will have the latest technology on site to provide quick and efficient diagnosis and treatment for our patients.”
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Maimonides Health is Brooklyn’s largest healthcare system, serving over 320,000 patients each year through the system’s 3 hospitals, 1,800+ physicians and more than 80 community-based practices and outpatient centers. The system is anchored by Maimonides Medical Center, one of the nation’s largest independent teaching hospitals and home to centers of excellence in numerous specialties and Maimonides Midwood Community Hospital (formerly New York Community Hospital), a 130-bed adult medical-surgical hospital; and Maimonides Children’s Hospital, Brooklyn’s only children’s hospital and only pediatric trauma center.
Maimonides’ clinical programs rank among the best in the country for patient outcomes, including its Heart and Vascular Institute, Neurosciences Institute, Bone and Joint Center, and Cancer Center. Maimonides is an affiliate of Northwell Health and a major clinical training site for SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. For additional information, please visit www.maimo.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.