White Plains Hospital Enters First Phase Capital Project

White Plains Hospital held a special reception last week for the opening of new operating room at its main campus on 41 E. Post Road.

The new state of the art operating room, which should open in another month or so, is designed to accommodate minimally invasive and robotic procedures using the da Vinci surgical system.

But as impressive as the new room is, it is only the first step in a capital project that will bring 300 to 400 jobs to the area and enhance the hospital’s ability to give medical care to the area for years to come.

“The next step is the completion of our remaining operating rooms,” said Eliza O'Neill, director of communications for White Plains Hospital. “We’re building five new ORs, which are about 1,600 square feet each. We are also completing redesigning our lobby and entrance area, so we’re going tear down our lobby in the next two weeks.”

Here’s quick a list of some of work that will take place during the project. Renderings of the new project can be found here.

• A new lobby will boast dramatic 25 ft. glass walls, letting in an abundance ofnatural light. The remaining walls of the lobby will be composed of rock and stone, and high-end finishes used throughout, bringing the lobby into the 21st century.

• A new entrance, reception area and waiting room built for Outpatient Radiology to better serve the increased demand for radiologic services at the hospital and to offer patients and family added privacy and comfort. Renovations will also include a new reading room for radiology staff.

Last week, the White Plains Hospital was awarded a $108 million bond by the Westchester County Local Development Agency Corporation for the completion of the project. About $80 million will be used for the upcoming capital project, while the rest will be used to pay off existing debt.

Jon B. Schandler, president and chief executive officer of White Plains Hospital, said the bond will enable the hospital to save about $3 million during the next 30 years thanks to the LDC bond.

The project, which will begin November, will take two years to complete. Schandler likened the project's impact on staff members and patients to putting an addition on a new home, although on a larger scale, and said he expected there to be small inconveniences with noise and other construction related work.

"Probably the only inconvenience is entering and exiting the hospital, because we're not going to do it through a big lobby," Schandler said. "We're going to do it through small new area and that's going to take a little bit of time."

About 75 full-time, high-wage union construction jobs will be created from the project as a result of a labor agreement between the contractor, Gilbane Building Company, and Edward Doyle, Sr., Teamsters president, representing 34 local trade unions.