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Albany Medical Center Unveils Expansion Plans to Meet Increased Demand

ALBANY, N.Y., February 28, 2008 - Albany Medical Center announced today that it has requested state approval for the largest hospital expansion project in the history of northeastern New York - a $360 million complex to be situated right in front of  the current patient tower facing the corner of New Scotland and Myrtle avenues.

The proposed 6-story complex, which would take several years to build, would include expanded adult and neonatal intensive care units as well as new operating and recovery rooms. It would increase the Medical Center’s licensed bed capacity from 631 to 747 and thereby enable the institution, which already functions in excess of 85 percent capacity, to meet the projected 3 percent annual increase in its patient population expected to occur throughout the next decade.

 “This expansion will provide us with the capacity we need to keep up with an increased demand for services, and the ability to continue to provide quality care to all of our patients during the next decade and beyond,”  said James J. Barba, the Medical Center’s president and chief executive officer. “Increasingly, the Albany Medical Center - with its 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week emergency and specialty services - is becoming the healthcare destination of choice for patients and referring physicians alike and we are committed to fulfilling this vital role.”

Albany Medical Center is northeastern New York’s only academic health sciences center, offering the widest range of tertiary - or the most complex - healthcare services in the region. With nearly 7,000 staff members, Albany Medical Center is the regional referral center for a 

wide range of specialty services from trauma care and organ transplants to a variety of cardiovascular, vascular, neurosurgical and pediatric services.  According to Barba, admissions to Albany Medical Center have risen by more than 27 percent in the past several years—from 24,300 in 2001 to 31,000 last year, while transfers have increased more than 80% during the same timeframe.

“By the time the project is completed, admissions to the hospital are expected to rise to more than 40,000 a year and the planned expanded facility is being designed to meet that higher anticipated caseload,” he explained.

Since 2002, the Medical Center has re-opened 82 beds, bringing the number of beds currently in use to 617.

“Albany Medical Center is among the most prominent medical centers in the nation and is held in high regard for their healthcare services and programs," Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno said. "This expansion is great news for the patients who rely on the vital programs provided here as well as the positive impact that it will have on the local economy,” he added.

The expansion announcement comes on the heels of several significant construction projects completed at the Medical Center in recent years including the Physicians Pavilion at the west end of the New Scotland Avenue complex, the Hilton Garden Inn at Albany Medical Center, and a two-story expansion to a support building (the F Building) behind the main hospital complex.  

“As our healthcare system continues to evolve, the community hospitals throughout our region are increasing the number of referrals they make to Albany Medical Center,” noted Steven M. Frisch, M.D., executive vice president for integrated delivery systems and hospital systems general director. “Our expansion plan will provide us with the expanded bed capacity and state-of-the-art facilities we need to continue to fulfill our central role as the tertiary care provider in the region’s healthcare system.”

This expansion project will result in:

• 20 additional operating room suites
• 60 medical/surgical beds
• 60 neonatal intensive care unit beds
• 30 adult intensive care unit beds
• 16 pediatric beds
• 48 additional prep/recovery, and 23-hour stay stations
• 27 additional recovery room stations

"I applaud Albany Medical Center not only for its continued commitment to the provision of the finest health care in the region, but also, for continuing to be the City's largest private employer,” said the Honorable Gerald D. Jennings, mayor of Albany. “Today's announcement further complements our collective vision for the future of Park South: the expansion of a world class medical facility, coupled with the renaissance of a neighborhood."

If approved by the state, construction is expected to begin in late 2009 and be completed by early 2012.

The new complex, which will be adjacent to the D Building (or patient tower), will include a second glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge that will cross New Scotland Avenue and connect to a 1,750-space parking garage to be constructed by the Medical Center on the grounds of the Veterans Administration Medical Center under terms of a planned separate project and lease arrangement.

The planned architect for the project will be TROJung Brannen of Boston.