St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children announced the completion of a 10,000 square-foot expansion of the hospital’s pediatric facilities. To formally inaugurate the space, St. Mary’s President and CEO Dr. Edwin Simpser led a ribbon cutting ceremony with Cindy Johnson, Norman Feinberg, Attilio and Beverly Petrocelli, and the Kids for Kids Foundation whose generosity was instrumental in the completion of this important project.
The new unit will add 21 ventilator-equipped beds to St. Mary’s, helping the facility meet critically high demand. According to the Medicaid Redesign Workgroup on Medically Fragile Children, nearly 100 of New York’s children who require ventilator-equipped beds are forced to seek care out of state due to high demand. St. Mary’s—the only pediatric post-acute care facility in New York City—was already operating at 100 percent capacity. This expansion will allow the hospital to meet the growing need for pediatric respiratory care.
“Today marks a historic moment in the history of our hospital,” said Dr. Edwin Simpser, President and CEO of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children. “Expanding the number of ventilator-equipped beds will allow us to care for more children than ever, helping us fulfill our mission of serving New York’s most critically ill and injured children. We’re so deeply grateful to the Johnson family, Norman Feinberg, the Petrocelli family and the Kids for Kids Foundation for their work making this extraordinary project into a reality.”
“In times of struggle, the proper support and facilities are crucial to help sick children and their families. That’s why we were so thrilled to support the new expansion at St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children,” said Robert Catalano, Founder and Board Chair of the Kids for Kids Foundation. “We look forward to continuing our work with St. Mary’s to provide care and support for any child who needs it.”
This capital project transformed 10,000 square feet of administrative space into a state-of-the-art care facility. The 21 ventilator-equipped beds will be in multiple 2-bedded patient rooms, which provide comfortable space for children’s accessibility, equipment needs, family visits and privacy. The renovation has also created a new Great Room, a communal space for recreation, education, visitation and dining. Ultimately, this transformation will provide home-like amenities that put patients into a total-healing environment.
St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children has been the primary provider of long-term and rehabilitative care for New York’s most critically ill and injured children since the 1870s. St. Mary’s Healthcare System is one of only a handful of organizations around the country that is dedicated to providing intensive rehabilitation, specialized care, and education to children with special needs and life-limiting conditions.
