UVMC Announces Emergency Department Expansion
September 28, 2015 - UVMC broke ground Sept. 28 on a multi-phase emergency department (ED) expansion and renovation project. The project, expected to take up to 18 months, will include 26,300 square feet of new construction and 16,800 square feet of renovation for a total of 43,100 square feet. The new construction will occur first, followed by a move into the new space and renovations to the existing ED.
The emergency department will remain open during the entire project. The walk-in patient entrance will remain virtually in the same location, and the ambulance entrance will shift to the east. The helipad will be relocated to the east beyond the expansion.
The number of emergency treatment rooms, currently 28, will be increased to 36 with the ability to flex up to 38 treatment beds, which includes seven specialty care treatment beds for trauma and behavior health.
The expanded ED will include medical imaging services encompassing a CT unit and X-Ray unit to provide faster turnaround. Also, renovation of medical imaging space adjacent to the ED will include the addition of a second MRI unit.
A second project component will include an additional corridor for access by ancillary services, staff and easier patient/family movement from the ED to other areas of the hospital.
“We’re extremely excited about all that this expansion will provide for our community,” said Becky Rice, UVMC president and CEO. “In addition to increasing the overall ED space and treatment room size to accommodate today’s patients and caregiver needs, the project is designed with the goal of enhancing efficient flow and delivery of care for our patients and their loved ones.”
“The new ED will include a modern appeal expected in today’s hospitals and features improved design and functionality, said David Cohen, MD, ABEM, medical director of emergency services. “These designs will provide for enhanced patient experience, privacy and efficiency aimed at enhancing the overall quality of care.”
“It also will benefit our health professionals with state of the art design, larger treatment rooms, centralized nursing stations, increased work stations, and efficiency of patient flow,” Dr. Cohen added.
“The expansion will be very beneficial for the people of this area,” said Diane Pleiman, UVMC vice president. “Having medical imaging equipment embedded in the emergency department is an advancement that can provide faster turnaround, especially for our critical patients where minutes count like stroke CT results,” Pleiman said.
The new ED treatment rooms will be universal rooms, meaning everything in each room is in the same location. “If you walk into any space to work, it will be the same as the next. The same-handedness allows for increased safety and more efficient care,” said Jim Hurak, UVMC vice president. “And the additional beds aim to move patients through the ED in a timelier manner.”
More than 75 individuals were involved in the design and planning including registration, imaging, lab, respiratory therapy, ED staff, emergency ambulance squad representatives, and others.
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