More people than ever nationally are seeking the services of local emergency departments, and they are bursting at the seams. On the national level, emergency room visits have grown more than 25% in the last 15 years. In the same period, the number of emergency rooms nationally decreased by approximately 15%. Overcrowding has become an epidemic. More than 80% of the nation’s emergency departments report they are at or over operating capacity.
Combine these realities with a 3 to 4% annual growth in emergency room visitation at St. Vincent’s over the last 10 years, and the lack of department expansion during this period, and it is clear that changes are necessary. Consider the following facts:
Currently, St. Vincent’s Medical Center Emergency Department, a designated Level II Trauma Center, handles twice the number of visits than its design intended. More than 59,000 patients visited last year alone.
The average wait time for a patient is 103 minutes in the main ED, and 72 minutes in the Express area.
The ED’s inefficient design results in nurses walking an average of one mile every two hours.
Once the new wing is completed, the Emergency Department will undergo a considerable expansion from its present 13,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet – a full acre of clinical space and more than triple the original size! The additional space will more than address capacity needs for the foreseeable future with 60 beds instead of today’s 28 that will anticipate the treatment of as many as 90,000 patients annually, and will allow for modernization:
In technology – The ED will have its own CT Scan and the most contemporary diagnostic equipment, automated pharmaceutical dispensing, and vastly improved computerized monitoring technology including full cardiac monitoring capability in all rooms.
In physical layout – Efficiency will be greatly improved with a new layout designed for patient, physician and staff convenience and comfort.
In access to services – Rather than transporting ill, anxiety-ridden emergency patients across the hospital to access radiology services, radiology will now be available in the emergency room. There will be easier access to other critical services which will occupy improved space in the new ED such as Orthopaedic, Gynecology, Surgical Care and Behavioral Health. A permanent Decontamination Unit will be available for environmental accidents and terrorist events. Isolation capability will be available in many of the rooms for avian flu, SARS, TB, etc., and there will be eight trauma resuscitation areas.
In Environment – There will be a pediatric corridor with a waiting room and examination rooms specifically designed for children, as well as a separate, more therapeutic environment for the treatment of behavioral health patients in the new facility. All patient rooms will be private and equipped with TV and telephone for maximum patient comfort. There will be a family-friendly environment with open access during patient treatment and dedicated family space throughout these treatment areas.
