State approves Albany Medical Center’s $360M expansion projec

The Business Review (Albany)

Albany Medical Center says the State Hospital Review and Planning Council has approved its plans to expand the hospital and construct a $360 million complex to be located at the front of the patient tower that faces the corner of New Scotland and Myrtle avenues.

The six-story complex will take several years to build, Albany Med said. It will include a neonatal intensive care unit, 20 operating rooms, recovery rooms, expanded adult intensive care beds and additional general medical/surgical beds.

Albany Med said the expansion will increase the hospital’s licensed bed capacity from 631 to 714 and meet the projected 3 percent annual increase in its patient population that is expected to happen during the next decade.

The planned architect for the project will be TROJung Brannen of Boston.

Albany Medical Center President and Chief Executive Officer James Barba said the expansion is necessary to keep up with an increased demand for services.

“Even during the most difficult economic times, the need for access to emergency and specialty services 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week remains,” he said. “As the region’s only tertiary care center, Albany Medical Center must continue to meet the demand for its unique array of services.”

Albany Medical Center is northeastern New York’s only academic health sciences center. It has about 7,000 staff members.