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Emergency ServicesNew York Downtown Hospital is nestled at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, behind City Hall and adjacent to Pace University and operates the only twenty-four hour Emergency Services for the entire Lower Manhattan Community. The Hospital encompasses the entire block demarcated by William Street to the North, Spruce Street to the East, Gold Street to the South, and Beekman Street to the West. The Emergency Department and Ambulance Entrances are on the Gold Street side of the building.  The neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan span the gamut of socio-economic status and ready access to medical care. The affluence and diversity of this cultural blending creates unparalleled opportunities and challenges. As these neighborhoods grow and metamorphose, the Hospital must change with them or risk losing the pulse of the community.The Emergency Department represents the Hospital at the Grass Roots level. Our Mission to serve the Communities involves being sensitive to the ever-changing needs of the populations we serve. Thus, we have been restructured and continue to evolve to serve the vast diversity of the individual communities of the Downtown Area, each of the neighborhoods with its own culture and flavor, as well as its distinct medical expectations. The major languages of our patient population are English, Chinese and Spanish, though because of the diverse cultural nature of our financial and tourist areas, all languages are encountered. The Hospital maintains Chinese Translators twenty-four hours a day and has similar ability in Spanish. For all other languages, a language bank has been established and the Hospital retains connections to phone translation services that can be accessed from the Emergency Department. SERVICES PROVIDED Downtown Hospital is a full service Emergency Department, except for Psychiatric Cases which are not seen routinely at our facility. We are prepared to handle all levels of Emergency Care from Critical to Urgent to Non-Urgent Cases. We are an accredited 911 receiving Hospital and a Level 2 Trauma Center. Our Trauma Level designation states that we are capable of handling any traumas that occur in our area, but we will not receive traumas which can be best cared for in a major institution or that are referred from another area.As we do not have a burn unit in the Hospital and we do not do cardiac bypass surgery or microsurgery, these cases are stabilized and transferred. Our Hospital also does not have a Pediatric Intensive Care unit, so all critical Pediatric Cases are transferred. However, our Department has the equipment and expertise to handle all of these cases prior to transfer. Our Emergency Department is one of the few Community Hospitals in New York City to offer Emergency Department Ultrasound. Usually reserved for large University Hospitals, this type of ultrasound examination greatly facilitates diagnosis of many abdominal pathologies and obstetric issues. Our physicians are also trained in the latest techniques of Emergency Anesthesia to provide optimum care of our critical patients. Being surrounded by the Financial District, Downtown Hospital has had tremendous experience with the intricacies of heart disease treatment. In a nationwide study of Hospitals, Downtown Hospital ranked in the top ten hospitals in the speed of delivery of clot busting medications (thrombolytics) delivered to heart attack patients. ABOUT OUR STAFF The Physician Staff of our Emergency Department is being constantly upgraded to the highest standards of Emergency Medicine. Our full time Attending Physicians are virtually all Emergency Medicine Board Certified, with most specialty trained in their residencies to this exacting and comprehensive profession.Our department provides one of the most rigorous medical review processes in the City to assure quality management and to identify issues for continuing medical education. The Mortality and Morbidity Conferences, held twice a month, discuss not only problems and issues but also unusual and interesting cases designed to stimulate expansion of the general fund of knowledge. Our provision of specialized training in Emergency Department Ultrasound is unique among community hospitals, usually reserved for large teaching institutions. Attending Physicians are also provided additional training in different types of anesthesia and sedation. The physicians have also been carefully chosen to augment the cultural and language backgrounds of our major patient populations. However, quality of care and service comes before cultural amenities in the selection of the most highly skilled and knowledgeable staff. The Hospital Operates a full Residency Program in Internal Medicine and Obstetrics/Gynecology, all who rotate through the Emergency Department under the supervision and training of our Emergency Department Attending Physicians. The Hospital is also part of the Bellevue Surgical Residency Program. These Residents provide twenty-four hour in-house coverage for surgical consult to the Emergency Department. As no Pediatric Residency Program exists here, the Hospital provides twenty-four hour in-house coverage by Pediatric Attending Physicians for both the Inpatient and Emergency patients. PROMPT CAREOur Emergency Department operates a Fast Track section called Prompt Care. This section is dedicated to Minor Medical and Surgical Emergencies. The goal is the rapid evaluation and turnaround of patients whose condition permits. The area is manned by a staff of experienced Physician Assistants under the supervision of our Attending Physician Staff. Such conditions as Lacerations, Sprains, Fractured Bones, etc. can be processed through this area rapidly, avoiding the long waiting time associated with many City Emergency Departments. Patients with limited medical issues can also be seen here, increasing patient satisfaction by lowering waiting time. In the new Emergency Department Renovations, the Prompt Care Area will be transformed into a Hospital-based Urgi-Care Center. Such a unit will have all of the benefits of a free-standing Urgi-Care Center, while retaining all of the advantages of proximity to the full range of services and testing of a full service Emergency Department. The unit will resemble a private office setting in decorum and efficiency, rather than the familiar chaos of an Emergency Department.Our Department is embarking on a new project: to create the first Physician Assistant accredited specialty training in Plastic Surgery in the nation. The Physician Assistants would receive specialty training in Plastic Surgery to allow for the optimum repair of traumatic lacerations arriving to the area. The elective specialties of Plastic Surgery would, of course, remain solely in the purview of the Board Certified Plastic Surgeons of New York Downtown Hospital. The increased experience and proficiency the training provided would, however, guarantee the best cosmetic result possible to be afforded to the patients. AMBULANCE SERVICES The Emergency Department of Downtown Hospital has the distinction of providing the longest continuously running ambulance service in New York City, dating back to the mid-1800s. We are one of only a handful of such Voluntary Ambulance Providers left in the City. The dedication of our Hospital to the provision of the full spectrum of Emergency Services illustrates our commitment to streamline the process of patient care from the first encounter, through treatment, to resolution of the case.The Director of our EMS Division is an experienced and respected administrator. His credentials and academic credits far exceed in level and scope many of his peers. Yet, he retains his Paramedic License and continues to work in the field to keep abreast of the issues of the actual Emergency Service Providers. We operate exclusively Paramedic (Advanced Life Support) Units. We provide four separate units giving twenty-four hour coverage to Lower Manhattan in conjunction with FDNY EMS. These units are under the Medical Direction of the Emergency Department. Their dispatch is controlled by EMS control at MetroTech Plaza EMS Headquarters. The ambulance units themselves are the latest models with constantly upgraded equipment. Every effort has been made to secure the vehicles from any threat of Terrorist involvement or tampering. Based at the Hospital instead of a distant garage or lot, this control is simplified. Our Paramedics distinguished themselves in the recent World Trade Center Disaster. As the first units on the scene only minutes after the first plane hit, they continued to triage and treat patients until the first tower literally collapsed around them. Barely escaping themselves, Medics led people to safety and shelter in the nearby subway entrances. Their heroism in the face of overwhelming disaster provided comfort and solace to many of the victims of the tragedy. Over the following hours and days, the Paramedics provided support directly at Ground Zero as well as the transport of the injured Rescuers to area Hospitals. OUR AFFILIATIONSFor the past seven years, Downtown Hospital has been affiliated with New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System. The affiliation benefits the Hospital in many ways. It provides access to highly qualified specialists and cutting edge technology that would not normally be available to a small hospital. The affiliation also opens the doors of a large teaching institution to us for information and experience.Downtown Hospital also has affiliation with one of the premier orthopedic institutes in New York City: The Hospital for Joint Disease. Their cutting edge research capabilities and surgical expertise provides excellent care for our bone or joint injured patients. In addition, the Emergency Department has affiliation agreements with two other prestigious Hospitals. The first is New York Medical Center (Cornell), where we have affiliation with their renowned Burn Center and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The second is the famous Bellevue Trauma Center. These two affiliations round out an impressive referral chain providing exceptional care to our special needs patients. OUR FUTURE The Emergency Department of Downtown Hospital will continue to evolve to meet new community needs and expectations, as well as the exponential expansion of medical technology. To stagnate is, in effect, to fall backwards, while we plan to move only forward. Our growth and improvement over the past six years speaks to that commitment.The Emergency Department has embarked on a multi-million dollar Facility Renovation Project. The present physical plant will be completely redesigned, expanded and rebuilt to include the latest technology and state of the art facilities. Groundbreaking for this project began in the fall of 2002 and construction has been designed not to interrupt the present operation of the Department.
 At the request of New York State and New York City, the Hospital is under negotiations to upgrade its trauma capacity to the level of an Area Trauma Center. As we are the only Hospital for Lower Manhattan, the ability to provide the highest level of trauma care to an area of highest risk is essential.ED Administration is working closely with City Council on the Redevelopment Plans for Lower Manhattan after September 11th. Our input on the Medical Needs and Disaster Preparedness for this community will be pivotal in the restructuring of services. We continue to grow and learn as we provide for the ever-changing needs of such a fluid and prosperous community. Our goal is to keep pace with the metamorphosis of Lower Manhattan after the tragedy of the World Trade Center in order to be the cornerstone of Medical Care and the Trusted Neighbor. CONTACT INFORMATIONHospital Location:170 William Street New York, New York 10038 Directions: Downtown Manhattan Next to Pace University Two blocks above South Street Seaport One block East of City Hall When asking directions, many locals still identify and recognize the Hospital by its old name of Beekman Hospital. Mass Transit Two blocks from Broadway/Nassau Stop of A, C, 1, 2 Subway lines (exit at Fulton Street) Two blocks from City Hall Stop of 6 Three blocks from City Hall Stop of R Many Downtown Bus Lines Staten Island Ferry Driving Brooklyn Bridge FDR Drive to South Street Broadway Center Street Emergency Department Location: Gold Street entrance to the Hospital Main Hospital Number: 212 - 312 - 5000 Main Emergency Department Number: 212 - 312 - 5070 Prompt Care (Fast Track) Number: 212 - 312 - 5094 Departments: Administration: Office Manager: 212 - 312 - 5068 Wanda Coleman Acting Dir.: 212 - 312 - 5547 Antonio Dajer MD Nurse Manager: 212 - 312 - 5061 Arlene Eastman EMS: (ambulance) Secretary: 212 - 312 - 5000 Extension 3304 Director: 212 - 312 - 5500 ECI: (life support) Information: 212 - 240 - 3709 or 3710 212 - 312 - 5000 Extension 3304 BILLING ISSUESWhen can I expect to receive my bill for my Emergency Department Visit?If you presented an insurance card at the time of your visit to the Emergency Department, you may never receive a bill directly, as it may forward automatically to your insurance company. Bills are processed within six days of your visit. However, due to many company billing requirements, the submission of a bill is often delayed awaiting final review of lab tests or x-rays. Your insurance carrier may also hold the bill for more information from the hospital about the visit. Therefore, it is not uncommon to wait weeks to months to receive the bills for services. Why do I get more than one bill? There are three different components to an Emergency Department Bill. One; two; or three of these bills may be applicable to your case. The first bill is the Hospital Bill. This bill is the charge for the Emergency Room; the Nurse; the supplies and equipment. The second bill is the Physician Bill. This bill is for the Doctor or Physician Assistant charges. This bill is generated by a billing company in Pennsylvania. Some insurance carriers want these two bills lumped together. In that case, only one bill is generated. The third bill is the Consultants Bill. You may or may not get this bill, dependent upon whether services were provided. This bill covers laboratory and x-ray readings; and specialist consultations. They are billed by the individual consultant or group and are independent of the Emergency Department Billing. What if I don't have my insurance card when I come to the Emergency Room? Usually, what happens is that the bill is then sent to your home. If you get such a bill, simply forward it to your insurance carrier, or, if it comes with a return envelope, simply make a photocopy of your insurance card. Then place the photocopy and the bill in the return envelope and mail it back. It will then be processed. Do you accept all types of insurance? In general, the Emergency Department accepts all types of insurance, even traveler's insurance. There may be a rare exception, but that would be unusual. Is the bill for the Emergency Visit Expensive? Yes, the bill for any Hospital Emergency visit can be very expensive. That's why it is better to have insurance. Our Hospital is no more expensive, however, than others. What if I don't have the money to pay, or cannot pay right away? If you do not have insurance, and don't have the money to pay the bill, please contact the outpatient billing office and the Pennsylvania Billing Company. They can help you to arrange for smaller payments or other arrangements. It may also be possible to qualify for Medicaid if you are a New York resident (or other states as well). There is a Medicaid office located in the Hospital to assist you in the application process, or you can contact the State Medicaid Office. What if I have a problem with the Bill? Hospital Part (sent from the Hospital): The Phone Number for Outpatient Billing is: 1-212-731-3224 Physician Part (sent from Pennsylvania): The Phone Number for Healthcare Business Resources is: 1-800-777-2455 |
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