The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital in Brooklyn opened its doors Tuesday when hospital leaders, elected officials and community members witnessed the completed, new facility.

Named for the late Supreme Court justice, the second woman to be appointed to the nation’s highest court, Ginsburg’s granddaughter, Clara Spera, says the hospital represents what her grandmother stood for.

What You Need To Know

  • The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital cost $923 million to build

  • The facility is equipped with an elevated, flood-proof emergency department, modern equipment and 80 private medical-surgical beds, plus 60 behavioral health beds

  • The campus of the hospital will also include a four-foot concrete flood wall surrounding the entire perimeter of the hospital

“My grandmother deeply believed that rights are meaningless unless they can be enjoyed by all not just the privileged few,” Spera said. “This could not be more true than in the context of health care. I know that she would be pleased beyond measure to learn that this hospital bears her name.”

With a price tag of $923 million, the new building located at 2601 Ocean Parkway is equipped with an elevated, flood-proof emergency department, modern equipment and 80 private medical-surgical beds, plus 60 behavioral health beds.

The construction will also include a four-foot concrete flood wall surrounding the entire perimeter of the hospital. A seven-foot bronze statue of the late justice flanks the lobby of the new hospital.

The opening of the building comes more than a decade after Hurricane Sandy flooded Coney Island Hospital on Ocean Parkway, which is where the new facility is located.

The 11-story structure, along with the existing tower, is expected to serve nearly 875,000 New Yorkers in south Brooklyn.

“We are a safety net Hospital,” Diana Jacob, the chief operating officer for NYC Health and Hospitals South Brooklyn Health and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital. “We’re part of the largest public health systems in the country right here at Health and Hospitals. We are a cornerstone of the south Brooklyn community and we will continue to be.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency footed the bill for the new hospital. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries noted the importance of accessible healthcare to the surrounding community.

“We believe here in Brooklyn and throughout New York City and indeed in the country that access to high-quality affordable healthcare should be a right,” Jeffries said.

The hospital will begin welcoming patients on Sunday May 7.