Park Slope Hospital 'Tops Out' On Expansion Project

PARK SLOPE, NY — An expansion of a local hospital that will add more space to treat cancer, diabetes and hypertension "topped out" this week.

NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospitals leaders and staff signed the final steel beam for their new Center for Community Health building on Wednesday before it was hoisted into place.

"The Center for Community Health represents our commitment to delivering the highest quality, most comprehensive ambulatory care to the Brooklyn communities we serve," Dr. Richard Liebowitz, president of the hospital said in a statement.

"Our patients will experience a new level of care, delivered by our exceptional clinicians in a setting that utilizes cutting-edge technology and innovative design to create an effective, welcoming and wellness-focused environment."

The new six-story, 400,000-square-foot spot will be the largest ambulatory care center in the borough and help the hospital met a growing demand for different treatments in Park Slope, officials said.

The Center for Community Health, which will be on Sixth Street, includes 12 operating rooms, a cancer center with chemotherapy, an expanded orthopedic institute and six rooms for endoscopy, bronchoscopy and pain management, the hospital said.

The $445 million expansion faced resisted by some residents when the plans were announced in 2014, with Preserve Park Slope suing the hospital in 2015 after the city approved plans for a seven-story building, Crain's New York reported.

NewYork-Presbyterian settled with the community group in 2015 — agreeing to drop the seventh floor and create green space outside the building — and started demolition of brownstones for the center in 2016, according to Crain's New York.

Work has been underway since and hospital officials expect the new clinic to open its doors in 2020.

Image: Dr. Laura Forese, executive vice president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian, signs the final beam for their new Park Slope center. (Kellie Walsh & Rupert Rogers/4 Eyes Photography, used with permission)