In response to the increased demand for emergency care, Wellington Regional Medical Center has unveiled Phase I of its new Emergency Department with a Grand Opening celebration. Expected completion of Phase II, which will renovate the original ER space, is planned for early 2009. Once completed, this $19.8 million building project (including expansions of the Imaging Department and Energy Plant), will more than double the size of the hospital’s busy ER providing 36 private patient rooms.

“When we planned this expansion, we considered the physical and emotional comforts of our patients,” said David Soria, M.D., Chairman of Emergency Medicine. “In an ER everyone’s issues are important. This expansion gives us the space we need to move quickly and efficiently to give our patients the care they need.”

Staff and community members gather for the ribbon cutting of Phase I of the new ER at Wellington Regional.

The Emergency Department at Wellington Regional offers many innovative programs such as an Emergency Express Program, open daily for patients with minor injuries and illnesses to ensure that patients are seen and treated quickly. Teleneurology services in the ER provide the rapid response of a “neurologist to the patient’s bedside” when symptoms of a stroke present. This innovative program is leading the way for the hospital to achieve a Stroke Center Certification, expected in early 2009.

The successful ER Smart Card Program gives staff in the ER fast access to a patient’s medical information in an emergency such as allergies, medical conditions, medications and dosages, information that could be vital to treatment in a medical emergency, preventing medical errors and expediting the registration process.

A new Physician to Physician Concierge Program has recently been implemented which allows a patient’s primary care physician to speak directly with an ER physician to provide vital information about your condition before your arrival to the ER.

Just outside the Emergency Department is the newly expanded Imaging Department offering the advanced Aquilion™ 64-slice CT scanner for Coronary Angiography, Calcium Scoring Studies and Virtual Colonoscopy; the new GE HD High Speed 1.5T MRI; and 2 new ultrasound suites housing new Acuson Sequoia S512 Ultrasound Systems.