FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2003
CONTACT: Traci Blake, 360/493-7245
New Emergency Center Opens June 10 at Providence St. Peter Hospital
New Clinical Lab Opens June 1
Public Invited to Open House on Saturday, June 7
OLYMPIA—When Providence St. Peter Hospital opens its new emergency center on June 10, patients and visitors will experience more privacy, comfort and efficiency. The new 25,000-square-foot center is three times larger than the old one and has 39 private patient treatment rooms.
Growing patient volumes -- a 42 percent increase since 1995 -- created the need to expand the center’s capacity. "We’ve been operating in a space built in the ‘70s to accommodate 27,000 patients," said Scott Bond, hospital administrator. "This year we expect to see nearly 60,000 patients in our emergency center. The new space is not only bigger, but also a better designed space."
The new emergency center features a rooftop helipad, separate entrances for walk-in and ambulance patients, six cardiac and stroke rooms, two trauma rooms, four women’s health rooms, two cast rooms, two EENT (eye, ear, nose and throat) rooms, a crisis services (mental health) unit, special pediatric equipment and a larger waiting area.
"We’ve designed the space and added new technology to create more efficient service for patients," said Brad Massey, RN, director of emergency services. "One of the improvements is a simplified registration process."
Patients will no longer need to go to multiple locations for triage, registration and treatment, and wait in between each process. In the new emergency center, patients will come to one of three private triage booths and will be registered and assigned a room at the same time.
A computerized patient tracking system will allow physicians, nurses and staff to see how many patients are in the waiting room, which treatment rooms are available, which patients are in each room and how long each patient has been at the center.
Upstairs from the emergency center is a new clinical laboratory, which will open June 1. This 16,000-square-foot facility provides cytology, hematology, chemistry, toxicology, microbiology, pathology, blood bank and transfusion services.
"Each year, we’ve been acquiring new technology and adding new tests but have had trouble finding space to accommodate them and our staff," said David Mensah, laboratory director.
The new lab is nearly twice as large as the previous facility, which will improve working conditions for staff. A new lab information system and automated instruments that analyze blood will improve processes and generate faster patient lab results.
The new emergency center and laboratory addition is part of Providence St. Peter Hospital’s $63.3 million "Campus Renewal" expansion, a five-year construction project that began in 2001. Total project cost of the emergency center and laboratory addition is $27.5 million.
The majority of the funding will come from loans secured by the Providence Health System, and some funding will come from community philanthropy. Providence St. Peter Foundation launched a $3.3 million capital campaign in October 2002 and has raised $1.7 million in gifts and pledges. The Foundation must raise the remaining $1.6 million in order for all the Campus Renewal plans to be implemented.
"A first-rate emergency center is a core service that contributes to our overall quality of life," said James Reus, M.D., Providence St. Peter Foundation president. "Just knowing it’s here gives us peace of mind."
One in five patients in the emergency center at Providence St. Peter Hospital come without insurance. "We are often the final safety net for those who can’t find care anywhere else," said Reus.
"The financing of health care today is difficult, said Bond. " But this emergency center is an investment that touches thousands of lives every year and affects just about everyone in this community."
Providence St. Peter Hospital, founded by the Sisters of Providence in 1887, is a not-for-profit 390-bed hospital serving the five-county South Sound region with comprehensive medical, surgical and mental health services.
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Editor’s Note: On Saturday, June 7, Providence St. Peter Hospital invites the public to celebrate the opening of its new emergency center and clinical laboratory addition. A blessing and dedication ceremony will start at 1:30 p.m., followed by an open house and tours until 5 p.m. Providence St. Peter Hospital is located at 413 Lilly Rd. N.E. in Olympia.
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