From left: Darren Fitzpatrick, MD; Ugo Ezenkwele, MD; Brian Radbill, MD, FACP; and Fernando C. Carnavali, MD, at the Mount Sinai Queens Ambulatory Pavilion
Against a backdrop of an evolving national health care system increasingly focused on preventive medicine, outpatient surgical procedures, and other efforts to keep people healthy and out of the hospital, Mount Sinai Queens has opened the doors to its new Ambulatory Pavilion, a $175 million facility that allows it to better serve the health needs of its community and significantly expands its medical and surgical capabilities.
Mount Sinai Queens is located in the heart of Astoria and serves the communities of Western Queens and beyond. With the addition of the Ambulatory Pavilion and continued expansion, it is positioning itself to care for more patients and extend its geographical reach throughout New York City’s largest borough.
“Mount Sinai Queens has always been a vital part of the communities it serves,” says Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “We are very proud to have worked closely with local stakeholders and elected officials in heralding a new era of health care in Queens—one that focuses on preventive care to better service the needs of this community.”
The six-floor, 140,000-square-foot Ambulatory Pavilion, which broke ground in October 2013, is one of the largest new medical construction projects in Queens in recent years. While parts of the facility remain under construction, it has been opening in phases since May and is now home to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Emergency Department (ED), Mount Sinai Doctors multispecialty medical practice, and Mount Sinai Queens Imaging. Opening soon will be several new operating rooms utilizing the latest in surgical technology and an interventional radiology suite that, for the first time, will enable Mount Sinai Queens physicians to perform image-guided, minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat a variety of medical conditions.
Caryn A. Schwab, Executive Director, Mount Sinai Queens, says, “As we continue to grow, we are expanding the role we play in all aspects of our neighbors’ health, from providing primary care and imaging tests to surgery and cancer care. We want to deliver the best care for our community and borough, and in this building, they will get it.”
Brian Radbill, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Medical Affairs, Mount Sinai Queens, notes: “With the opening of the Ambulatory Pavilion, we are transforming ourselves into an institution that will be increasingly focused on population health and dedicated to chronic disease management, preventive care, and wellness.”
The limestone and glass building has stunning views of Manhattan and Queens. New two-story atrium entrances and lobbies will be part of the final phase of the project for both the Ambulatory Pavilion and the existing hospital. The façade of the hospital, adjacent to the new building, is currently being resurfaced to match the limestone façade of the Ambulatory Pavilion.
The construction of the Ambulatory Pavilion began as the hospital was gaining national recognition for improved patient care. In 2014, Mount Sinai Queens, as a campus of The Mount Sinai Hospital, received the prestigious Magnet® designation—considered the highest recognition for nursing excellence—from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In 2015, the hospital was one of only 15 organizations nationally to have received the coveted Press Ganey Success Story Award®, which recognizes outstanding health care organizations that have measurably improved the patient experience. Press Ganey, the leading provider of patient experience measurement, cited “visionary leadership” that “has quantifiably improved the patient experience, advancing the quality and delivery of care in Queens.”
An Expansive Emergency Department
Caryn A. Schwab, Executive Director, Mount Sinai Queens, center, with New York City Council Member Costa Constantinides and Roula Siklas, Program Coordinator, Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Emergency Department is the defining feature of the new building: at 20,000 square feet, it is five times the size of the previous emergency room. With a glass-enclosed, expansive entrance and waiting area, the facility features a combination of private rooms and patient bays, a cardiac and critical care resuscitation room, bariatric- and dialysis-capable rooms, and a covered ambulance entrance and ramp. A separate pediatric emergency area features a family-friendly waiting room appointed with a brightly colored mural, colorful furniture, and PlayStation® consoles that provide a diversion for younger patients.
Mount Sinai Queens, a Level 2 Trauma Center, is the only hospital in the borough designated by both the New York State Department of Health and The Joint Commission as a primary stroke center. To further elevate stroke care, the new ED is equipped with a dedicated CT scanner to expedite stroke diagnosis and treatment, which is crucial for improving patient outcomes. There is also dedicated X-ray equipment.
The Mount Sinai Queens ED treated more than 51,000 patients in 2015; with the expansion, that number is expected to grow significantly. The Department is led by Ugo Ezenkwele, MD, Chief of Emergency Medicine, Mount Sinai Queens, and Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Mary Godineaux, RN, BSN, MSA, Director of Nursing, Emergency Department, Mount Sinai Queens. The ED was officially unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by members of the Mount Sinai Boards of Trustees and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Mount Sinai Queens leaders and staff, local elected officials, and other guests on Thursday, June 9.
“The Stavros Niarchos Foundation was a strong and early supporter of this project, which took many years of hard work and collaboration to bring to fruition,” says Andreas C. Dracopoulos, Co-President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. “The result is a facility that will enable talented clinicians to do their best work, and will serve the demands of a growing Queens community.”
A Growing Physician Practice
Mount Sinai Queens faculty and staff are ready to serve patients at the new Ambulatory Pavilion.
With the launch of the new Ambulatory Pavilion, Mount Sinai Queens is inaugurating a Mount Sinai multispecialty physician practice that is expected to number approximately 40 primary care physicians and specialists over the next 12 to 18 months. The primary care physicians in the practice specialize in family and internal medicine, with a focus on preventing diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary disease, along with pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. Fernando C. Carnavali, MD, serves as the Chief of Primary Care Medicine at Mount Sinai Queens. Primary Care physicians will closely collaborate with the specialists and manage the overall health care of their patients. Specialty care will be offered in cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, general surgery, nephrology, neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, otolaryngology, spine, surgical oncology, and thoracic and vascular surgery.
To better serve their patient population in one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the nation, many of the physicians at Mount Sinai Doctors speak languages in addition to English. The practice, which began a phased roll-out in June, is expected to be fully operational in September. It is located on the fourth and fifth floors of the Ambulatory Pavilion.
The Latest Imaging Equipment
Mount Sinai Queens Imaging, which opened on the second floor of the Ambulatory Pavilion on Wednesday, June 8, uses the latest diagnostic equipment, including a wide-bore 1.5 Tesla MRI system, 128-slice advanced CT scanner, four high-quality ultrasound systems, digital X-ray and fluoroscopy, PET/CT scanner, digital mammography units, and advanced archiving communication system technology.
It also offers women’s imaging, including breast tomosynthesis, a 3-D mammogram that can detect cancers that a standard mammogram might miss. Physicians also perform fine-needle aspirations and core biopsies of the breast. Bone density exams are available as well to detect osteoporosis.
Under the direction of Darren Fitzpatrick, MD, Chief of Radiology, Mount Sinai Queens, and Assistant Professor of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the staff includes a team of four fellowship-trained, board certified radiologists who serve on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Operating Suites, Interventional Radiology, and More
The six new operating (OR) suites and the interventional radiology suite are expected to open after Labor Day. The OR suites include private pre-surgical rooms, a large recovery room, and a comfortable waiting area. Interventional radiologists will be able to perform minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions without the need for surgery. The expansion project will continue through the winter as the two new entrances and lobbies are completed, an ambulance ramp is extended for the ED, and the service yard becomes functional.
“We are delighted to serve Western Queens with a fully integrated medical facility that now provides access to the highest quality, personalized care,” says David L. Reich, MD, President of The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens. “We look forward to continued collaboration with our community to realize the vision of a new Mount Sinai Queens.”