Patti Singer and Gary McLendon

Staff writers http://rochesterdemocrat.ny.newsmemory.com/

BROCKPORT — Area residents learned just what the free-standing Strong West emergency department will look like at its target opening of mid-July. Nearly 100 residents listened intently to de­tails of the plan during a forum at A.D. Oliver Mid­dle School on Tuesday.

During the forum, University of Rochester Medical Center officials briefed residents on top­ics ranging from the type of outpatient services at Strong West to how pa­tients in the emergency department needing more care would be transferred to a hospital.

Attendees learned that once open, the 10-bed emergency department at Strong West will be staffed by a doctor, at least two nurses and sup­port staff, according to Dr. Michael Kamali, chairman of emergency medicine at Strong Me­morial Hospital.

Officials explained how the emergency de­partment will fill a void in western Monroe and eastern Orleans coun­ties, but that it won’t re­place the inpatient ser­vices of the former Lake­side Memorial Hospital.

Community members have longed for emer­gency health services since Lakeside Hospital closed last April, and left the meeting pleased. “I’m really happy. I’m really happy about it,” said Tony Pietrzykowski of Sweden. “What a trag­edy it was to lose our hos­pital. I was in tears when I learned that Strong was coming out here.” “It’s a very good idea,” said Mike Schaffer, of Sweden, who said he’s a living example of the im­portance of local emer­gency health care. “Eighteen years ago, I had a heart attack while living across the street from Lakeside.” The emergency de­partment is part of a three-pronged plan by URMC to transform the former Lakeside into an outpatient center after the hospital closed last April. In June, URMC an­nounced it was buying the hospital and assets. Shortly after, it began fil­ing applications with the state Health Department to open an urgent care center, an ambulatory surgery center and a free-standing emergen­cy department at what it named Strong West. Ac­cording to documents filed with the state, the overall cost was $5.4 mil­lion.

The urgent care cen­ter opened in September.

According to spokes­woman Teri D’Agostino, by the time everything is up and running, UR Medicine will have spent between $8 million and $10 million, which in­cludes renovations for the ED and surgery cen­ter, landscaping and a new main entrance.

PSINGER GMCLENDN

TONY PIETRZYKOWSKI

Sweden resident