Maimonides Medical Center opens Brooklyn's largest children's emergency department

""There are 600,000 children in this borough and only one children's hospital -- let that sink in for a minute," said Dr. Jeffrey R. Avner, chairman of pediatrics at Maimonides Health."

""This children's emergency department is only one of 13 pediatric trauma centers in all of New York State," said Dr. Eitan Dickman, Maimonides' chair of emergency medicine."

""With this move, space frees up across the street. And over the next 12 to 18 months, we will be working on basically doubling the space available for adult emergency services," he said,."

""As we see health care being cut, being slashed, people try to figure out where they can get health care. It's an honor to be in a place that is not only saying we're going to continue to get health care, we're going to expand," said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams."

The newly expanded pediatric emergency department opened with community leaders present. The space is four times larger than the previous facility and equipped to serve over 30,000 children annually. Amenities include private rooms and advanced imaging technology. The facility is Brooklyn's only pediatric trauma center and one of 13 pediatric trauma centers in New York State. The project took nearly a decade to complete. Expansion will free space nearby, enabling plans to double adult emergency services over the next 12 to 18 months. Officials emphasized the expansion aims to reduce parental stress and address gaps as healthcare resources are constrained.

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