- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake introduces new emergency department to community
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – After nearly two years of construction, community members got a chance to see the newly completed multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art emergency department at St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake during a Thursday evening reception.
The emergency department has been in need of more room for some time. Hospital officials said St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake is one of the smallest – yet busiest – emergency departments in the state, and sees more patients than the other emergency room in the hospital's St. Helena region.
When work began in October 2011 on the $12 million project, there were seven patient rooms in the department. Today, there are 12, with plans to expand by another four beds in another of the project's three phases, according to Project Manager Oliver Dibble.
The expansion project added 4,100 square feet of space to the hospital's busy emergency department, which serves between 50 and 60 patients a day, according to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake officials at the Thursday event.
The reconfigured department also includes a new and larger waiting room and nurses station, private patient care rooms, new entrances, cutting-edge equipment, support systems upgrades, a redesigned triage area and easier access to private beds from the emergency department, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake reported.
Adventist Health, St. Helena Hospital’s parent organization, provided initial funds for the project, and challenged the hospital to fund the remainder from within the community. The community responded with generosity, with gifts large and small from hundreds of donors providing the needed funds, hospital officials reported.
The new department isn't yet open, but is expected to be fully operational within the next 30 days. Dibble said a state inspection is still required and will take place next month.
“This is a big, big deal for our county and community,” said Supervisor Jim Comstock, who along with board colleague Jeff Smith was at the Thursday evening dedication and ribbon cutting.
Comstock called Dr. Rodney Look, MD, of the hospital’s emergency department “a huge asset.”
David Santos, the hospital's vice president for operations, said the hospital partnered with the community to improve the medical services offered there.
“This was truly a community celebration,” said Santos. “This new emergency room has been one of the most needed and anticipated developments in health care for Lake County. Everyone has worked together to make it possible, and this was a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the tireless effort and generous donations involved. Improved access to these critical services is a legacy gift that will impact this community for decades.”
Guests arriving at the red carpet event – which included music by the Lake County Diamonds – were greeted individually and given “backstage passes” as well as commemorative first aid kits.
During a brief ceremony, Terry Newmyer, president and chief executive officer of St. Helena Hospital, spoke on how building this new emergency room was so important to the community.
Santos reviewed the project’s highlights and expressed gratitude to the community, then cut an oversized ribbon, officially opening the new facility for a sneak peak. Guests were then taken on tours of the patient rooms.
“The energy was amazing,” says Melissa Kinsel, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake development officer. “This community has worked hard for a long time for this moment, and it was wonderful to see everything finally come together.”
The fundraising is still under way; Adventist Health reported that it's raised 84 percent of the funds needed to cover the project.
For more information, visit http://www.newerforyou.com/ .
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