Emergency Department Renovation to Begin at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center

September 10, 2024
Emergency Department Renovation to Begin at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center

Guthrie Cortland Medical Center (GCMC) is excited to begin a long-awaited $7.2 million Emergency Department (ED) renovation project. While some internal work has been underway for the past two weeks, the public-facing portion of the transformational, 18-month project kicks off on September 23.  
 
The project will roll out in multiple phases: 
 

  • Ambulance Bay: The bay will be redesigned with the addition of a permanent decontamination area and adjoining rooms in the event of an emergency. 
  • Patient Rooms: More space was needed to accommodate the more than 28,000 visits to the ED each year. The number of rooms will increase from 14 to 23, and all existing and new rooms will now be private. 
  • Waiting Room and Triage: The space will be redesigned for patient comfort and flow, with the addition of a “Nurse First” triage model, which means every patient will initially be evaluated by a nurse to determine the best course of action, reducing wait times. 
  • Behavioral Health Space: This will include three new patient rooms, an activity room for parent or counselor meetings and a separate nurses station. “This will be especially critical for our pediatric population with mental health concerns,” said Wendy Kolodziejczyk, Director of Critical Care Services, Guthrie Cortland Medical Center. “This new space, away from the chaos of an emergency department, will offer our behavioral health population a safe, calm space to heal while they wait for long-term placement.” 

 
“The Emergency Department is the face of any hospital,” said Jennifeer Yartym, President, Guthrie Cortland Medical Center. “We are committed to upgrading and elevating the look and feel of our facility to meet the high level of care being offered by our teams inside.” 
 
The phased approach is designed for minimal impact to our patients and the Emergency Department will remain open during the entire project. Signage will be ever-present to ensure easy navigation for patients throughout this process and updates will be delivered through traditional and social media.  
 
We are excited to continue the evolution of our hospital in our constant mission to deliver safe, quality care from experienced caregivers in a comfortable and convenient setting.