Dr. Raffaele Milizia, MD, Chair of Emergency Medicine, speaks with Denise Manasas, Associate Vice President of External Affairs & Strategic Communication on SJRH’s Riverside Reflections
St. John’s Riverside Hospital recently announced an upcoming expansion of its Emergency Department (ED), which will double its patient capacity. The announcement was made by Dr. Raffaele Miliza, MD, Chair of Emergency Medicine and AVP of Medical Affairs at SJRH.
Dr. Milizia spoke with Denise Mananas, Associate Vice President of External Affairs at St. John’s Riverside Hospital, on an episode of SJRH’s Riverside Reflections (www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RmJ1hxmyNw&t=3s).
“Working with New York State, the hospital received a grant and will begin work in the fourth quarter of this year to expand our Emergency Department. By the time this renovation is done, we will have doubled the space of our ED. “
SJRH’s ED at Andrus Pavilion in Yonkers was built to serve 23,000 patients annually. Once the expansion is complete, the hospital will be able to serve 55,000 patients. The Emergency Room currently has 27 beds and will add 28 more through the expansion.
Other improvements include creating a direct entrance from the parking lot closer to the new portion of the ED for patients arriving by car.
“Our goal for St. John’s is to break ground on our new ED by the end of the year. The plans are promising and are moving along quickly. We have been planning for this for a long time,” said Dr. Milizia.
Dr. Milizia explained that the mission of the SJRH’s ED changed several years ago. “Seven years ago, we became an academic department where resident physicians learn emergency medicine. Becoming an academic department raises the level of care that is provided. Everything is evidence-based, and we use the most modern and effective therapy.
This change also allowed us to change our group of physicians, who now come from some of the larger hospitals and academic institutions. And they bring that level of care to our community. The residents are now a core part of the care we bring to the community.”
“ER patients used to see only one physician. But now that we have introduced residents, there are more interactions with the patient during their visit. It’s another person who explains to the patient what will happen and what their diagnosis is. “Adding the resident physician has been a great service to the community,” said Dr. Milizia.
Another facet of care at St. John’s Riverside Hospital’s ED is the implementation of Fast Track. “When you get to an Emergency Department like ours that sees as many patients as we do (35,000-45,000 per year), you must separate where those patients are seen. Sick patients will go to the main ED, but ideally, patients who are coming in with less sick issues, you want to put them in a fast-paced area and have them evaluated, treated, and sent home quickly.”
“Fast-Track has experienced nurses greeting patients upon their arrival. And if their reason for coming in can be taken care of in fast-track, the nurse will put them into a fast-track bed. Typically, we can see and discharge those patients within two hours,” said Dr. Milizia, who added that fast-track ED patients can have “bumps and bruises or wrist and ankle sprains. And minor cuts and colds and feels similar to an urgent care experience,” said Dr. Milizia.
St. John’s Riverside Hospital is stroke-certified. “We have a dual certification with the American Stroke Association and the Joint Commission. Stroke care is at the forefront of medical care today and is a time-sensitive health issue,” explains Dr. Milizia.
“Stroke care has made huge strides over the past five years, and St. John’s has been designated a primary stroke-certified center since 2020. As a primary stroke center, if you or any of your loved ones are having any of the symptoms of a stroke, you can call 911, and they will bring the patient to St. John’s. We have all the resources to diagnose and treat the stroke and determine if additional therapies are needed.”
St. John’s has two Emergency Departments: Yonkers (Andrus Pavilion) and Dobbs Ferry (Dobbs Ferry Pavilion). “The Dobbs Ferry ED is smaller but provides an efficient, family feeling for its patients. It’s 24/7, just like our Yonkers ED; we see patients quickly. Patients don’t want to spend the entire day waiting for a diagnosis if they have unexpected issues that bring them to the ED.”
The physicians in the EDs at both Andrus and Dobbs Ferry rotate between the two hospitals. “Our focus has always been quality, but now we are doing it a little faster. We always want the patient to have an excellent experience, and everything that we are doing in our ED proves that.”
