ELIZABETH — To best serve the 73,000 emergency visits it receives each year, Trinitas Regional Medical Center is in the early stages of a three-phase $18 million project to renovate and expand its existing Emergency Department. The project will add 18 new treatment rooms, giving the Medical Center a total of 45 rooms for treating emergency visits.
A 128-slice CT scanner will be housed in the new Emergency Department, and separate emergency treatment areas for families, children and seniors will be created. Lastly, the project will add three new beds to the Medical Center’s existing Intensive Care Unit.
“Trinitas has one of the busiest emergency departments in New Jersey,” stated Trinitas President and CEO Gary S. Horan, during a groundbreaking ceremony held in front of the Emergency Department. He noted that the number of annual visits increased over 40 percent in just the last 15 years. The current emergency department was built in 2000 following the merger of St. Elizabeth Hospital and Elizabeth General Medical Center. That merger created Trinitas Regional Medical Center.
The entire $18 million cost of the project will be covered by donations from area foundations, corporations and individuals. Approximately half that amount has already been raised, Horan reported.
Horan also said that the expansion and facility enhancements are vital to patient care in Elizabeth and its surrounding communities.
“As a primary healthcare provider in the Central Jersey region, Trinitas has long been committed to the needs of the communities it serves. In the past 15 years, we have seen that residents rely on us to care for them in the face of medical emergencies. With the expansion’s expected completion in 2017, we’ll be better able to continue to offer the highest level of patient care possible.”
Dr. John D’Angelo, chairman of emergency medicine, noted that an aging population is a key cause for a higher number of emergency visits. “With a population that is growing older, we see more cardiac and stroke cases due to age-related factors.”
“This project is all about Trinitas’ mission of service to the community,” added Sister Rosemary Moynihan, chairman of Trinitas Health & Regional Medical Center. “By treating over 70,000 emergencies per year, Trinitas has become, more than ever, a true lifeline for those we serve.”