“It’s a very big deal,” said Bryan O’Donovan, Administrator of Operations at Strong West, regarding the long-awaited opening August 19 of the off-campus Emergency Department (ED) at UR Medicine’s Strong West in Brockport.
As of 8 a.m. on the 19th, the former Urgent Care Center switched over to become Strong West Emergency.
The off-campus ED is the first such model in upstate New York and will offer acute emergency care for patients around the clock, seven days a week. The Strong West Emergency Department can accept patients brought in by ambulance and is staffed by a physician 24-hours a day.
The opening of the ED means that for the first time in more than a year, patients in the Brockport area with more serious conditions can receive needed medical treatment close to home.
“Our number one priority when we purchased the (former) Lakeside (Hospital) property, was to restore emergency services,” O’Donovan said.
He noted UR Medicine and Strong West officials have spent thousands of hours working to make the free-standing ED become a reality.
“It’s an extraordinary feeling,” O’Donovan said. “The support of the community has been tremendous, it’s gratifying to have this day come.”
The opening of the ED also comes in time for the start of fall semester classes at The College at Brockport, O’Donovan noted.
He added that Strong West now has 100 employees – 50 of whom are former Lakeside Hospital employees. Other employees have come from Strong and through new hires.
“It’s a cool blend of folks,” O’Donovan said.
Dr. Mike Kamali is chair of Emergency Medicine at URMC and Medical Director of Strong West Emergency.
He called the opening of the ED, “… exciting and awesome … it’s our intent to be here forever,” Dr. Kamali told the Suburban News and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald.
“It’s a full service ED,” Dr. Kamali noted, with imaging, x-ray and laboratory services available. Strong West also has three short-term observation beds. However, he explained, it is “not a full service hospital.” Patients who need a higher level of care or need to be admitted will be transferred to a hospital. “The patient will make the decision where to go,” Dr. Kamali said.
In addition to the new off-campus ED, services available at Strong West include imaging, labs, primary care, cancer care, cardiology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, and urology.
Bryan O’Donovan said Strong West expects state approval of its Surgical Center any day and Occupational & Environmental Medicine will provide a full range of industrial, occupational and environmental medicine services to employers beginning August 25.
Photo by K. Gabalski
