Guthrie Cortland Medical Center Begins Process of Emergency Department Renovations – Work Expected to Begin Late August

Guthrie Cortland Medical Center has officially begun the process required for their Emergency Department renovations. The hospital has begun seeking approvals from the City of Cortland Planning Commission for the work, gaining site plan approval for sealing the ambulance bay that is adjacent to the Emergency Department entrance, which will be considered phase one of the six phase project.

According to Guthrie, work is expected to begin on the first phase of the project in either late August or early September. Phase one is expected to be completed by the end of October. Prior to the start of the work, an official groundbreaking will take place by hospital officials. Phase one will be the addition of a permanent decontamination area with shower rooms and an isolation area. The construction will also install a holding tank for hazardous chemicals; the hazardous materials would then be safely disposed of.

Remaining phases of the projects will include the addition of patient rooms, an increase from the current 14 to 20. Work will also increase the privacy between the rooms.

The Emergency Departments footprint will be expanded further into the hospital to allow for the creation of a separate area for behavioral health patients, specifically pediatric age Guthrie told X101 News.

“This area will include a separate nurses’ station, three patient rooms in addition to the 20 listed above, and an activity room which can be used for multiple purposes, including as a space for tutors to come in and work with a patient who may be with us for multiple days while they wait for placement in a long-term care facility. This allows our behavioral health patients a space to heal away from the everyday activities in an Emergency Department.” Guthrie said.

The waiting room area will also be renovated. Guthrie says the entire project should take about 18 months to complete. Patients seeking the Emergency Department will still enter the same place. Cardiology and pulmonology patients will also enter the same way prior to renovations.

“The phases are broken up in such a way to limit the impact on patients and allow for consistent patient flow throughout this process.” Guthrie continued.

Guthrie Cortland is noting the Emergency Department will remain not only open, but fully functional during the renovation process and always open.