Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul was in Poughkeepsie on Thursday to tour the Vassar Brothers Medical Center Patient Pavilion Prototype on the hospital campus.

The building is being used to show visitors what the new 696,000-square-foot hospital building will look like from the inside, including a replica of the spacious patient rooms and critical care units. The pavilion is also being used as a recruitment tool to show potential medical staff what the future Vassar Brothers Medical Center will be like to work in, which is "roomy" according to John Nelson, director of Public and Community Affairs at Vassar.

Hochul was joined by state Sen. Sue Serino, Assemblyman Frank Skartados and Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison. The officials also learned that there are approximately 300 job openings in Health Quest and there are more openings coming when the new building is finished.

Hochul said that the unemployment rate in Dutchess is down 5 percent and that could lead to people being recruited to relocate to the Hudson Valley to fill the jobs. That notion that was well received by Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison.

The expansion project is estimated to cost almost $500 million and is being funded by Health Quest except for $3 million in grants received from New York State

Individuals that are interested in seeing what the new hospital will look like can visit the Patient Pavilion Prototype Experience on Wednesdays from 2-5 pm. The building is located at 60 Livingston Street in Poughkeepsie.

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