New Samaritan emergency room has more flexibility

MOSES LAKE — The remodeled emergency room at Samaritan Hospital provides more flexibility for treatment, quicker treatment and more privacy for patients, and more security for patients and staff. And that was the goal, according to hospital officials.

The $850,000 project took about 10 months, and was completed late last year.

The remodeling changed almost the entire emergency department, from the moment patients walk in the door. Treatment rooms were remodeled; in fact, the entire method of treating patients was changed to increase flexibility.

The admitting area is encased in glass and has room for two patients to be interviewed at a time. The glass is a security measure – it’s bulletproof – and it helps reduce sound transfer, which enhances patient privacy.

The patient’s first stop is evaluation, said department manager Rebecca Suarez. For patients with relatively minor illness or injury, there’s a new option called “flex care.” Two rooms have been designated to treat those patients.

Building the flex care unit took about 12 weeks, Suarez said. “That was an intense time.”

Prior to the remodel some rooms were set up to treat specific illnesses (cardiac patients being an example) or injuries. That meant patients had to wait longer if more than one person needed that kind of treatment.

The remodeled ER has all medical equipment on carts, meaning any room can be used to treat any patient. “You can move this (cart) into the next room and they (the treatment team) will have what they need,” Suarez said. One room is designated for trauma cases, but the equipment can be moved to other rooms if needed.

Because all equipment is now on wheels, all built-in storage has been removed.

The doors into that section of the ER are locked, and entry is by ID badge. Inside, the space has a remodeled nurse’s station, with a design that makes it easier for nurses to monitor the patients in all rooms. The remodeled ER has nine treatment rooms. Previously one room could accommodate two patients, but that’s been eliminated. All rooms now are set up for one patient.

Two rooms can be used to treat mental and behavioral health patients, Suarez said. Any medical equipment that can’t be removed can be locked up, and the windows are shatterproof glass.

Hospital officials also decided to move the security office closer to the front entrance, repurposing the chapel, which was also used a space for quiet when families needed it. The chapel-quiet space has been moved to the old security office, next to the ER. ”It really is quiet,” Suarez said.

The Inspire committee, the employees’ charitable organization, raised about $30,000 for the space, said director of communication and community development Gretchen Youngren, things like blankets and pillows for families waiting for ER patients, cell phone charging stations, beverages. The charging stations, paid for by the Inspire committee, have been installed throughout the hospital.

The project required a lot of flexibility on the part of the ER staff, Suarez said. The remodeling wouldn’t have been completed on time without their cooperation and willingness to work around the obstacles, she added.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.