HEALTHCARE
HEALTHCARE
The New Valley Hospital in Paramus Has a Lot to Show Off
By Diane C . Walsh Editor , COMMERCE
The $ 800 million , seven-story structure off Route 17 offers the latest innovations in patient care , comfort , and safety . Audrey Meyers , president and CEO of Valley Health system said the facility will offer “ inpatient , outpatient , emergency , and surgical care , and will be the anchor of a 40-acre health and wellness campus .
“ Adjacent to the new hospital is Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer at the Luckow Pavilion , along with the opportunity to see many Valley doctors at our medical arts building at 140 East Ridgewood Avenue . The campus will be a thriving healthcare destination for generations to come ,” she said .
The 910,000-square-foot hospital provides 370 spacious private rooms for patients along the three pavilions that radiate from the structure ’ s core . Torcon Construction , a privately owned construction management company based in Red Bank that specializes in healthcare facilities , built the hospital . It was designed by HDR Architects in Princeton . The funding was acquired from a combination of bond financing , hospital equity , and philanthropic contributions through a $ 125 million fundraising campaign .
Construction began with a ground-breaking on Nov . 1 , 2019 . Despite workforce shortage and supply issues during the height of the pandemic , construction stayed on track to meet the completion deadline this year , officials said . Valley plans to transfer the patients from its existing facility in Ridgewood in mid-April . The original Valley hospital , which dates to the 1950s , will be converted into an ambulatory care center .
Anxious to show off its new facility , the annual Valley Hospital Ball was held in the expansive atrium of the new facility last month . The October event gave guests a chance to experience some of the building ’ s features , like the radiant heated floors in the entranceway that are designed for warmth and comfort as the doors will be frequently open and shut for visitors , staff and patients being discharged .
COMMERCE Magazine got a preview of the state-of-art facility recently during a special tour conducted by Debra M . Aluotto , the project coordinator , Joseph Lorino , the facilities vice president , and Kathleen McDonough , the director of operations and logistics .
While the new facility will continue the practices that earned The Valley Hospital a ranking among the world ’ s best by Newsweek this year and a “ A ” in patient safety from the Leapfrog Group , McDonough said the newly designed private patient rooms are among the features that will set it apart . The rooms are easily one and half times the size of average patient accommodations and they are expected to reduce hospital-acquired infections . The private rooms also provide a “ more healing and relaxed environment for an overall better patient experience ,” said McDonough , who began her career as a nurse .
The New Valley Hospital was designed by HDR Architects in Princeton .
Photo : Russ DeSantis Photo and Video
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