Mercy opens Pediatric Express Care Unit

There was much to celebrate at Mercy Medical Center on June 23, where the six-month long expansion of the new Pediatric Unit was dedicated.

The expansion doubles the size of the waiting room and adds additional examination rooms, allowing families to be together for treatment and more patients to be treated.

Of the estimated 40,000 emergency room patients Mercy treats every year, 30 percent are considered pediatrics. With this number continuing to grow, so too should the hospital, said Ron Steimel, executive vice president and chief administrative officer. “We pride ourselves in delivering safe, quality care, but also doing it fast,” he said.

Mercy garnered some help in the form of a $50,000 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation and a $25,000 donation from Gregory Burke.

“The care at Mercy is incredible,” said Burke, a Garden City resident. “I’m happy to continue to support it to the best of my abilities.”

The grant given by the LICF was awarded to Mercy from a competitive application process. The grant was as a result of extending the hours of the express care unit and allowing a pediatrician to be available 24/7 while also seeing that the hospital help remove barriers for low income, uninsured people seeking treatment.

“The more improvements [Mercy] makes for our community, the better this hospital is,” said Rockville Centre Mayor Francis X. Murray. “We’re very happy it’s here.”