Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson has begun construction of a new $52 million, 26,000-square-foot Emergency Department that will maximize patient privacy and caregiver support, increase process efficiencies, and incorporate the best practices for patient safety. Ground was broken for the new facility on May 4. 

In recognition of the tremendous support to Mather Hospital from the Frey Family of Port Jefferson, the new facility will be named the Frey Family Emergency Department. The new Emergency Department will be double the size of Mather’s current Emergency Department and will create an environment that maximizes patient privacy and caregiver support, increases process efficiencies, and incorporates the best practices for patient safety.

“I’ve lived in the community since the 1960s. There have been countless times over the decades that Mather has provided excellent health care for our family and friends,” said Kathryn Frey, who also serves on Mather’s Advisory and Foundation Boards. “Everyone will benefit from our new expanded Emergency Department.”

“This is one of the most ambitious building projects in Mather Hospital’s history,” said Executive Director Kevin McGeachy. “We are re-imagining what emergency care can be for our community. The Emergency Department is our font door. More than three quarters of the patients who are admitted to Mather come in through our ED.” 

The new facility will be located on the north side of the hospital campus. It will feature individual private rooms and use a split-flow design that has proven to accelerate treatment and discharge of patients with lower-acuity conditions and speed hospital admissions for patients with higher-acuity conditions. The facility will include imaging services including X-ray, ultrasound, and CT technology; isolation rooms for infectious disease control; and a dedicated treatment area for those experiencing a mental health crisis. 

“Our new ED will provide a healing environment that meets the needs of our community when  they are experiencing an emergency: space for patients and their loved ones to be comfortable, privacy to allow clear communication with our healthcare providers, and a format that lets our staff work more efficiently so they can spend more time at the bedside,” said Adam Wos, MD, Director of Emergency Medicine at Mather.

Mather’s current Emergency Department sees almost 40,000 patients annually, making the new facility essential to the care of the community. The construction of the new Emergency Department is expected to be completed in 2025.