St. Joseph Healthcare System Implements $250 Million, Five-Year Facilities Project at Two Campuses

PATERSON, NJ — St. Joseph’s Healthcare System has launched a $250 million expansion and renovation investment project at both St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center/St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Paterson, NJ and St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital in Wayne, NJ. The construction project will meet the growing demand for inpatient and outpatient care at both campuses.


The five-year project will have a significant impact in the region. It is expected to create numerous construction and healthcare jobs, expand the healthcare services offered to residents of the region, and enhance the cityscape environment surrounding the medical center, says William A. McDonald, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph’s Healthcare System.

Construction at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center/St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Paterson, NJ, includes construction of a Critical Care Building that will feature new Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments, surgical suites and critical care units, a rooftop helistop, as well as construction of a new lobby with educational conference facilities, and a parking garage. The parking garage will be built by an external organization.

“Demand for services at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center has consistently exceeded capacity,” says McDonald. “This expansion project will allow physicians and staff to provide expanded high quality care in a state-of-the-art facility and demonstrate our continued commitment to responding to the healthcare needs of the community.”

The Healthcare System announced the completion of the first phase of this major facilities project: the opening of the new DePaul Ambulatory Care Center at St. Joseph’s located at 11 Getty Avenue on Monday, June 15, 2009. The new center offers state-of-the-art facilities for outpatient adult and pediatric subspecialty services including The Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Center, the Alfiero and Lucia Palestroni Birth Defects Center, The Autism Center, The Regional Cystic Fibrosis Center, Child Development Center, The Regional Craniofacial Center, Pediatric and Adult Neurology, as well as Ophthalmology, Podiatry, Plastic Surgery, Urology, Orthopaedics, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), and more.

Construction at St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital in Wayne, NJ includes renovation and expansion of the Intensive Care Unit/Critical Care Unit, expansion of the surgical suites and post-operative area, and renovation of the lobby.

“Operating rooms today are being built to nearly twice the size that they were 25 years ago to accommodate the technology and the people you need for sophisticated procedures,” says McDonald. “At St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital, we will be replacing two existing operating rooms with two brand new, 600 square foot, systems integrated operating rooms that are equipped to meet the current and future technologic demands of surgery.”

Overall facilities plans call for:

St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center/St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital

* Renovation of existing space for the new DePaul Ambulatory Care Center at St. Joseph’s — which opened on June 15, 2009
* A new 173,798 square foot Critical Care Building
* A 1,122-car parking garage (to be constructed by an external organization)
* Renovation of the main lobby
* Development of a Women’s and Children’s Lobby
* Development of a state-of-the-art conference center
* Cosmetic upgrades to all patient rooms, increase in single patient rooms and renovated nursing stations on patient care units

St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital

* Renovation of the main lobby
* Renovation and expansion of the Intensive Care/Critical Care Unit
* Update and expansion of two operating rooms, renovation of the pre-operative area and expansion of the post-operative recovery area
* Cosmetic upgrades to all patient rooms, increase in single patient rooms and renovated nursing stations on patient care units

Projected total investment for this major project at both campuses is $250 million.

Principal architectural and engineering consultants for the project include:

* Francis Cauffman Architects, a New York City based architectural firm

Project management is being provided by:

* Sterling Barnett Little, Inc., a firm based in Texas

Sharp Growth in Demand

As the region’s leading healthcare system, St. Joseph’s Healthcare System is experiencing rapid growth, with record levels of more than 1.6 million outpatient procedures and visits, nearly 200,000 patient days, and more than 130,000 emergency department visits in 2008. The healthcare system has shown strong financial performance in recent years, with funding for the expansion and renovation coming primarily from investment and operating income, bond issues and philanthropic support being sought through a major capital campaign.

Phase I
During Phase I of the facilities project, which began in the Fall of 2008 and will continue through 2009, enabling projects are underway at the St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center Paterson campus (such as the creation of the DePaul Ambulatory Care Center at St. Joseph’s), while Surgical Suite and Intensive Care/Critical Care Units are being renovated at St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital on the Wayne campus.

Phase II
* Demolition of the Johnson Building and 100 Hospital Plaza at the St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center campus will begin in Fall 2009. Other milestones during Phase II include:
* Completion of the main lobby at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center including the Women’s and Children’s Lobby
* Completion of a state-of-the-art conference center
* Completion of the Board Room, Physician Lounge and Chapel renovations

Phase III

Construction of a new Critical Care Building will begin late 2009 and continue through early 2012. The Critical Care Building will include:

* An adult Emergency Department featuring five trauma bays, 50 treatment areas, nine Fast Track bays and four Triage rooms
* A Pediatric Emergency Department featuring 14 bays
* A surgical suite with 12 systems integrated operating rooms, pre-operative and post-operative areas and a dedicated Surgical Waiting Area
* Four Critical Care Units: Cardiac Care Unit/Open Heart Cardiac Care Unit; Surgical Intensive Care Unit; Medical Intensive Care Unit and an Intensive Respiratory Care Unit
* Rooftop helistop

Phase IV
The final phase will include the renovation of a portion of the existing Emergency Department, while the remainder is converted to a new outpatient entrance.

“This is a very exciting time for St. Joseph’s Healthcare System,” says McDonald. “This is our largest construction project to date, and we are confident that it will improve the layout and design of our facilities, and will result in better work spaces for our staff and a more welcoming and healing environment for our patients and visitors.”

Founded in 1867 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Paterson’s first hospital has grown in size and scope of service to encompass St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, a major academic tertiary medical center and state designated trauma center, and St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, an acute care state designated children’s hospital, both located in Paterson, NJ; St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital, an acute care community hospital located in Wayne, NJ; St. Vincent’s Nursing Home, a long-term care facility located in Cedar Grove, NJ; Visiting Health Services, Inc., based in Totowa, NJ, and nearly two dozen ambulatory sites known collectively as St. Joseph’s Healthcare System. For more information, visit www.StJosephsHealth.org or call 877.757.SJHS (7547).

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Posted August 21, 2009

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