Since opening its doors in August 2002, the Clare F. Rose Emergency, Trauma & Chest Pain Pavilion at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center (BMHMC) has provided a less crowded, more relaxed setting than the former emergency department. The state-of-the-art and patient-friendly new addition is the result of a close collaboration between BMHMC administrators and physicians and the architectural design team.

The configuration of the centralized nurses’/doctors’ station and support facilities, surrounded by patient spaces, maximizes visibility and access. The new department also better accommodates new technologies, such as digital radiography access via wireless bedside computers. Taking into consideration patients’ need for privacy, the patient treatment cubicles were designed featuring solid-wood side partitions, with a curtained front panel that allows medical personnel optimal access. Patient comfort is further enhanced by the larger size of the cubicle, as well as by the provision of a private sink, storage space, telephone, handrail system, and an individual overhead heating unit.

The new circular waiting room likewise creates an attractive, comfortable environment for patients and their families. Providing seating for 75 people, it offers nourishment facilities and locates the entry, registration, waiting, and triage functions in close proximity. The waiting areas were developed in clusters to enhance privacy, with floor-to-ceiling exterior windows offering pleasant views and admitting abundant natural light.

To accommodate future expansion, the design provides an unfinished basement of 25,000 square feet. In addition, the former emergency department is being reconfigured to provide more administrative support facilities.

Project category: New construction (completed August 2002)

Chief administrator: Thomas Ockers, President & CEO, (631) 664-7731

Firm: RBSD Architects, (212) 571-0788

Design team: Arthur J. Blume, AIA, Principal; Marguerite Baril, RA, Project Manager; Adrian Panaitescu, PhD, RA, Senior Designer (RBSD Architects); Salvatore Panico, PE, President (BurrWood Engineering, PLLC)

Photography: Courtesy of Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center; Nic and V Photography

Total building area (GSF): 65,000 (new); 8,000 (renovation)

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $174

Total cost (excluding land): $12,700,000