UMC Overhauls Emergency Room, Breaks Ground on Building Additions
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Hot on the heels of a $3 million emergency room renovation and expansion‚ University Medical Center is set to begin construction on a new patient tower and outpatient services building.
All the changes mean that construction has become a way of life for hospital employees‚ but the additional services already being provided in the ER – as well as those which will come online with the new buildings – will position the hospital as one of the premier medical facilities in the region‚ says Anna-Lee Cockrill‚ director of business development and marketing.
The emergency room overhaul‚ which was completed in two phases during most of 2006 and wrapped up in January 2007‚ was long overdue and has made a huge difference in the quality of services provided‚ says Jody Glenn‚ director of emergency services.
“We went from an 11-bed‚ semi-private ER to 16 completely private bays‚” Glenn says. “We also have a four-bay‚ fast-track section for patients with very minor problems‚ like a sore throat or earache‚ that can be taken care of quickly.”
Of the 16 main beds‚ four are designated for cardiac trauma and are oversized so that more people and equipment can enter and exit quickly. There’s also a designated ob-gyn room‚ an ear-nose-throat room‚ orthopedics room and an isolation/negative pressure room. While each of these rooms has specific equipment to deal with those medical issues‚ they can also be used to provide any other type of care‚ Glenn said.
“We wanted it to be the emergency department that anybody in the county or surrounding community could come to and get care for any type of problem they had‚” Glenn says. “We were overcrowded‚ and it gave off a feel that it was more of a first-aid station – that if you needed true emergency services‚ you had to go elsewhere. Now when you walk into this place you can look around and know that we have what is needed to take care of any type of emergency. You see the modern‚ up-to-date equipment‚ computers at the bedside giving immediate access to records. The community can really feel the difference.”
Next up for UMC are a patient tower and outpatient surgery center‚ with groundbreaking set for October and November 2007‚ respectively.
The four-story patient tower‚ which comes with a $26 million price tag‚ will be 77‚000 square feet and will add 60 new private patient rooms to the hospital’s existing 245 beds‚ as well as room for expansion‚ outpatient rehab facilities‚ a new entry-drop-off area and areas designated for support functions.
The $8.6 million outpatient surgery center will come in at 15‚665 square feet and will feature three operating rooms and two procedure rooms.
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Antony Boshier
