Residents Express Concerns Over ‘Transparency’

NYACK – Residents are frustrated over a perceived lack of transparency regarding the planned construction in and around their local hospital – Montefiore Nyack Hospital.

During a public information meeting on Wednesday night, residents pressed attorney Dennis Lynch for details about a parking garage the hospital has planned to construct only to be rebuffed by the hospital’s legal counsel. Lynch informed the crowd that they would be able to address their issues to the Architecture Review Board during a separate session on February 19th.

Many residents were frustrated that their questions regarding the development would go unanswered, though the session did include updates on the construction at the hospital itself.

Hospital COO Michael Novak announced progress on the renovations were well underway and that facility will soon be adding two new digital x-ray suites, 26 new patient rooms (including eight rooms reserved for pediatrics), and a new docking bay that can accommodate four ambulances at a time.

Progress has also been made on a new cardiac rehabilitation center and a second entrance for outpatient treatment intended to reduce overflow.

Novak also told the audience that the hospital will soon be offering free vascular screenings for uninsured and underinsured patients; the hospital will be paying for those services out of pocket.

The hospital’s Care Transformation Project also includes the construction of a two-story addition which will double the size of the existing emergency department and add program space on a second floor. The construction will incorporate the renovation and reconfiguration of existing space that includes the current emergency department, hospital lobby, and adjacent corridors. Construction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2020.