The emergency department at Little Falls Hospital was dedicated as the F.M. Kirby Emergency Department Tuesday in response to a $1.575 million donation from the Morristown, N.J.-based foundation.
The F.M. Kirby Foundation donated the money to complete expansion of the hospital’s emergency department, a $4 million project that was part of an overall hospital renovation project which also included laboratory upgrades and improvements to the facility’s main entrance.
In all, the total cost of the project was $7 million, with $2 million of the funding needed to complete the work provided through a state grant.
“The emergency department is the primary point of contact for the hospital and the community, so it was an absolutely critical piece of construction and reconstruction that had to be done,” said Little Falls Hospital Board of Trustees John Bullis. “The gift given by the F.M. Kirby Foundation was transformational to Little Falls Hospital, in general, and completely transformed our emergency department. We’ve been able to upgrade our facilities to increase doctor-patient efficiency, privacy and overall health and safety. It has been a truly transformational gift.”
“This kind of support is very important to Little Falls Hospital. It is even more critical to the future of the hospital when we face challenges down the road with health care reform,” said Little Falls Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Ogden. “This generous donation will help the hospital be a model of efficiency and quality in the future.”
The gift from the F.M. Kirby Foundation honors the diligent efforts of the many health care professionals and community volunteers who have committed themselves to the continuous improvement of Little Falls Hospital, and to the hospital’s vision of achieving excellence in every aspect of care it provides. The donation came in response to a 2007 grant request made by the hospital’s board of trustees, which was prepared with the understanding of the F.M. Kirby Foundation’s interest in the hospital’s plans for the emergency department.
The new emergency department offers 12 individual treatment rooms, nine of which are completely private. The rooms are uniformly equipped, adequately lit and properly furnished to ensure that patients receive state-of-the-art care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, a private family room was added, a waiting area which boasts a flat screen television and refreshments for the comfort of a patient’s family members. The trauma room in the new emergency department is located adjacent to the ambulance entrance, and patient triage and registration areas offer new levels of privacy and efficiency to enhance care of critically ill and ambulatory patients.
“Little Falls Hospital remains a major asset of this community, one that attracts people to our city,” said Little Falls Mayor Robert Peters. “The city remains committed to the hospital and will continue to be there to provide a helping hand when needed.”
“This type of investment in health care is important to the economy, and not only in creating jobs or maintaining career opportunities,” said Assemblyman Marc Butler, R,C,I - Newport. “An investment such as this will help bring people and businesses to Herkimer County, because they know that Little Falls Hospital, through its affiliation with Bassett Healthcare, will be able to provide the quality health care they need.”
“Many challenges will come with health care reform, but in those challenges are opportunities for success and growth,” said Congressman Michael Arcuri, D-Utica. “This emergency department and this hospital are examples of the opportunities that exist. Not everyone in this country is as lucky as we are in upstate New York to have access to top-notch health care facilities. I will continue to make sure local communities, especially rural communities, receive the necessary federal resources to improve health care by providing cutting-edge, life saving technology.”
Since 1984, the F.M. Kirby Foundation has supported Little Falls Hospital with gifts totaling more than $261,000. This support has enabled the hospital to upgrade and purchase diagnostic and clinical equipment throughout the facility.
“Little Falls Hospital is profoundly grateful for this exceptionally generous gift in support of the expansion and renovation of our emergency department. This project went beyond the bricks and mortar of expanding our emergency department — it was about improving how patients access health care and changing how we deliver care to our community,” said Bullis.
Little Falls, N.Y. —
