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U.VA. HEALTH SYSTEM EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT RESCHEDULES GRAND OPENING

In honor of Emergency Nurses Day, the emergency medicine department at the University of Virginia Health System will hold an open house featuring the results of a two-year renovation project on Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The event was originally planned for Friday, Sept. 14, but was postponed after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The volume of patients presenting to any emergency department is episodic so we know there will always be times when the total number of patients in the emergency department is greater than the treatment rooms available, said Dr. Marcus Martin, chairman of the U.Va. Department of Emergency Medicine. We are constantly working on ways to decrease patient wait times. We believe the renovated emergency department will help us do that and improve overall service.

For example, in the past when a patient needed an x-ray, a physician had to order one and the patient had to wait for a technician to arrive and take him to the radiology department. Now, staff members have the use of overhead x-rays inside resuscitation rooms and a separate x-ray room in the emergency department. Images can be created and retrieved on a nearby computer, saving critical moments, Martin said.

The renovations also enhance patient confidentiality through the addition of private exam rooms with doors to replace exam areas once separated by curtains. These rooms will be available to patients with very sensitive cases.

In the pediatric emergency area, exam rooms minimize sounds heard from nearby rooms to protect patient privacy. The recent addition of the pediatric waiting room prevents children from witnessing adult emergencies.

Renovations have enabled us to provide children with pediatric-focused private rooms and our equipment is designed for children of all sizes, said Dr. Pamela Ross, director of pediatric emergency medicine.

The pediatric ED is one of a kind here in central Virginia, adds Martin. Thus far, this renovated space has served patients and healthcare workers extremely well.

Other renovated and newly added areas include:

  • State-of-the-art adult and pediatric resuscitation rooms

  • A larger Express Care Area for prompt attention to minor emergencies

  • An enhanced Women's Center for Emergency Care

  • A state-of-the-art Medical Communications Center

The U.Va. Health System emergency department is the only level one trauma center in a 70-mile radius. This means that the most severe traumas that occur in the area are transported to U.Va.'s emergency department.

During the open house, which is free and open to the public, there will be a brief ceremony to recognize staff members from 3:30 p.m. to 3:34 p.m. There will also be activities for children and tours of the new emergency department.

October 3, 2001