Elmhurst Hospital Center is located in the Queens borough. It receives a high number of visitors every day. The modern facility is considered the largest in the borough. The institution’s history started back in the 1800s. Find out more at queens-future.
Interesting past
Elmhurst Hospital Center dates back to 1800. Then, this facility was known as City Hospital. The hospital was designed to provide medical care to the disadvantaged. At the time, it was regarded as the second oldest municipal hospital in New York.
The hospital occupied 7 acres of land on the southernmost point of Roosevelt Island. It was the first facility in the country to significantly reduce childhood fever incidence among patients in the maternity ward. In addition, the institution has played a significant role in treating flu patients.
In 1860, the institution began to deal with wounded Civil War soldiers. In 1875, a maternity ward was created on the facility.
Development of Elmhurst Hospital Center
Following World War II, New York’s population began to increase. The hospital building was overcrowded. As a result, the authorities allocated an additional space in the Queens neighborhood, located at 79-01 Broadway in Elmhurst. The construction of the new building was carried out by the Department of Public Works. It cost 25 million dollars.
The new hospital opened its doors in 1957. It has since been renamed Elmhurst Hospital Center. The new institution was equipped with 970 beds. It is worth noting that a psychiatric ward based on the new facility was supposed to open in the same year, but it didn’t due to a lack of staff. There were not enough ambulances available when the hospital first opened. There were two cars in total.
The psychiatric ward first opened in the spring of 1958. In the first few months of operation, the unit housed 60 patients. They were separated into two wards, each with 12 beds.
Already in 1964, the institution became part of the Mount Sinai Health System. Furthermore, during this time, modern equipment was introduced, contributing to the expansion of services in providing medical care to people.
At the end of 1970, the hospital faced difficult times, as there was a significant shortage of nurses and intensive care beds. As a result, three people died here after being disconnected from artificial respiration machines. Following this incident, the hospital hired 40 nurses. In 1978, Elmhurst Hospital Center saw 15,000 patients a year.
In 1975, due to the fact that many of the patients receiving care could not speak English, the hospital invited sixty translators to work at the hospital.
In 1989, the institution was renovated and modernized, with a budget of $250 million. Then they split the existing space into five wings and incorporated modern equipment. The project was finished in 1993, following multiple delays. There is also a garage for parking staff cars on the institution’s grounds.
The hospital’s most significant development occurred in 2000. Elmhurst Hospital Center was the first to utilize the PACS technology. It allowed for stopping the use of harmful X-rays on paper.
In 2003, the hospital was the first to use the da Vinci Surgical System for laparoscopic surgery. Since 2004, the institution has been classified as a stroke center.
In 2008, the Hope Pavilion, an innovative cancer treatment facility, opened its doors on the basis of the institution.
The state-of-the-art Elmhurst Hospital Center can accommodate 545 patients. It occupies a large triangular block. On its grounds, there is a garage for 600 spots. The hospital serves over a million people in northwest Queens. Unfortunately, the center suffers from a lack of equipment due to the enormous number of patients. It is worth noting that in 2020, Elmhurst Hospital Center became a leading center for the treatment of COVID-19.
