Access To Emergency Room Changes With Construction
The work on the ambulance bay and the new entrance and dedicated waiting room for the emergency room has gotten underway, meaning that there will be a change to how both ambulances and patients access the emergency room until the work is complete.
Patients accessing the emergency room will now enter through Door 4 on the west side of the building. A new door has been put in to the south of that, along with a new ramp, for ambulance personnel to use when bringing patients to the emergency room. There will be areas marked as no parking on that west side of the building to assure there will be easy access for ambulances. Patients using the ER will be asked to use the other side of the street.
There is new temporary signage and lighting to help both patients and ambulances find their way to the correct doors.
The work is being done to expand the ambulance bay to accommodate the now larger sizes of ambulances. Because they have gotten larger, they often do not have the ability to fully pull into the bay and close the door as they unload patients into the emergency room. This can be a challenge, especially during the winter. It also affects patient privacy.
Construction will also include a new emergency room waiting room. This new secured area will be dedicated to those waiting for patients who are in the emergency room. In addition to providing this additional space, it will also secure access into the hospital wing which is currently open when people enter through the emergency room door.