Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health - Crawfordsville in Indiana has been waiting a long time for a new emergency room, and thanks to a $15 million investment from the Franciscan Alliance -- a group that owns 14 hospitals in the area -- it will finally get one.
It will also get a new CT scanner, and the women's center and occupational therapy will move back into the hospital.
The new emergency room is still in the design phase, and with construction beginning sometime in mid-March, it is expected to open to patients on Dec. 31.
According to Chief Operating Officer Terry Klein, the new unit will fulfill a longstanding need.
"The current ER was built in 1984, and it has 11 rooms," said Klein. "Nine are usable. It was designed for an average daily capacity of 35, but since then, our acuity levels have risen. We now have an average daily load of about 50 or 60. We've outgrown the technology, the space and the flow."
Cost-wise, the ER represents the largest chunk of the project, at about $10.4 million. Since it will be built on land currently used as a parking area, parking will also be rebuilt and expanded to accommodate the 19,000 square-foot unit. It will be about three times bigger than the current emergency unit, said Klein.
Having a new CT scanner will also be a boon to the hospital, said Nancy Sayer, director of imaging services. Especially since there's only one currently in use.
"Having one, patients have to wait," said Sayer. "Emergencies come first, of course, but the others have to wait. We can't take patients off a table in the middle of the procedure with needles in them and stuff, so that's one limitation."
Another is the fact that, if the current scanner needs maintenance, it can be down for 4-6 hours, said Sayer. During that time patients in need of the machine have to be diverted to a nearby facility, meaning Crawfordsville misses out on those patients -- and the revenue they generate.
"It affects everyone, not just radiology and ER," said Sayer.
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There are times when the current CT scanner can be down for even longer. If personnel are doing 50 scans in a day and a component breaks down, it can sometimes be offline for as many as 24 hours while a part is shipped in from elsewhere in the country. The new unit will allow clinicians to switch from one to the other in the event that happens. The clarity and definition will be better too.
Renovation plans also include bringing physical and occupational therapy back into the hospital, which Klein said would result in a larger waiting room and treatment area. Women's services, such as mammography, ultrasound and bone density, are also slated to return.
Twitter: @JELagasse