The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) today broke ground on its new regional medical center in Downtown Utica. The new medical center campus will include a 373-bed, 672,000-square-foot, nine story facility, a central utility plant and parking garage on 25 acres in Downtown Utica.
“Today is the culmination of a lot of hard work by many people and organizations and I am so excited to be here today breaking ground on our future medical center,” said Darlene Stromstad, FACHE, president/CEO of MVHS. “This medical center will not only transform the way we deliver healthcare to this community, but it will help continue the redevelopment and resurgence of Downtown Utica. Healthcare is a rapidly changing industry and it’s crucial for a health system to keep up with the advancements being made so that we are able to deliver the best care possible. This new facility will give our wonderful employees the space and technology needed to provide the state-of-the-art care that is needed in our region.”
The new medical center will provide an enhanced experience not only for patients but for their families as well. Here are some of the added benefits the new medical center will offer:
- Private rooms, all with a view. Every patient will have a private room and the design of the new medical center gives every patient room a view. Private rooms not only offer more privacy and comfort for patients, they help to protect patients from the spread of infection.
- Separate patient, visitor and service elevators, means more privacy for patients since they no longer have to be transported between hospital services in “public” elevators with visitors.
- Nurses and physicians are “stationed” closer to patients and families. Unlike the traditional nurses’ station that is located in the center of a patient floor for all rooms, the new medical center will have team stations for nurses, physicians and ancillary staff, each which focuses on four patient rooms.
- Advanced medical care all on one campus. This next generation medical center offers medical advancements that will redefine traditional healthcare practices.
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- A new level of surgical services will be available at the Center for Surgical Innovation, which will have the most up-to-date robotic surgical systems available.
- Centralized heart services will be established, building upon MVHS’ award-winning, comprehensive cardiac care.
- The state-of-the-art Emergency Department will include the latest technology and design in trauma care for those suffering life-threatening injuries.
- Flexibility in design enables MVHS to keep pace with rapidly changing technology and ever-evolving approaches for delivering patient care that goes beyond the norm of traditional treatment.
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- Access to new specialists and physicians. The to-be-built, technologically-advanced medical center is already drawing the attention of new physicians and specialists interested in coming to our City and region. This provides our patients and our community with a broader range of specialists with a diverse set of skills and backgrounds.
- Easy access from the highway to hospital front door and parking garage as well as ED entrance and parking lot.
“First class health care is essential for any community to thrive,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. “Mohawk Valley Health System’s new state-of-the-art medical campus will provide our region with all of the elements necessary to ensure our health needs are well taken care of. As Oneida County continues to ascend to new heights, this facility will be a key component in fostering our physical and economic growth and in transforming the downtown of our county seat in Utica.”
“The new MVHS regional healthcare campus, for which we are breaking ground today, will significantly improve the manner by which health care services are delivered to the residents of the Greater Utica area,” said City of Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri. Beyond healthcare, however, the campus will also have far-reaching impacts for the overall development of our community, attracting young professionals and elevating research and innovation – all of which are important ingredients as we look to grow our local economy. The transformation that will be brought about by this project, something that generations before us have hoped for, is finally being realized today.”
“Our community has been experiencing a long-awaited rise over the past few years, and with today’s groundbreaking we celebrate yet another major milestone of growth and vitality, one that will enhance regional healthcare center as it delivers on the promise of an evolving urban experience and skyline for the City of Utica.” said Alicia Dicks, President/CEO of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties. “This investment in regional healthcare, in the heart of our area’s largest city, marks a turning point in the community’s belief in itself, and it will benefit us, our children and their children – for generations to come.”
“The Mohawk Valley Health Systems downtown campus will not only change the skyline of Utica, but it will change the face of healthcare in the region,” said Steven J. DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE. “Having high-quality healthcare located strategically in downtown Utica helps strengthen our urban core, attracts the best and brightest employees, and helps us recruit new companies who look at available healthcare options as a quality of life necessity. Today’s groundbreaking is an exciting next step in our region’s remarkable future.”
“Today’s groundbreaking is a major step toward the realization of a new Regional Medical Center that will deliver world-class health care to New Yorkers across the region,” said William Gilbane, Senior Vice President – New York Division Leader, Gilbane Building Company. “Gilbane is proud to be leading construction on such an important job that will begin employing hundreds of workers from a diverse array of firms.”
All inpatient acute care hospital and emergency room services, currently available at the St. Luke’s and St. Elizabeth Campuses, will be moved to the new regional medical center in Downtown Utica. This includes:
- First floor – Emergency Services, Trauma Services, Radiology and Clinical Laboratory Services
- Second floor – Surgical Innovation Center (operating rooms), cardiac catheterization and interventions, electrophysiology labs, Interventional Radiology and Endoscopy
- Third floor – Critical and Intensive Care
- Fourth floor – Maternity and Special Care Nursery
- Fifth floor – Intermediate Care
- Sixth Floor – Medical/Surgical Services*
- Seventh Floor – Medical/Surgical Services*
- Eighth Floor – Pediatrics and Medical/Surgical Services*
- Ninth Floor – Behavioral Health
*NOTE: The services on each Medical/Surgical Services floor, such as orthopedic care, heart services and specific surgical specialties, will be further defined as the building project progresses.
The potential repurposing of the existing hospital buildings is being evaluated by CHA Consulting, Inc., an Albany-based engineering consulting firm. CHA Consulting is conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the potential reuse of all three campuses (Faxton, St. Luke’s and St. Elizabeth). It is anticipated that the Faxton Campus will stay open and continue to house the MVHS Cancer Center, Urgent Care, Outpatient Dialysis, Outpatient Rehabilitation and other ancillary services. CHA’s report and recommendations are due early next year (2020).
Hammes Company is the project management company facilitating the new medical center project. The construction manager for the project is the Gilbane Building Company and the architectural firm designing the facility is NBBJ.