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1st Phase of SSM DePaul’s Emergency Department Expansion Completed
SSM DePaul Health Care officials have announced the completion of Phase I of a $10.3 million emergency department (ED) expansion project that began in 2006. The expansion has allowed the hospital to double the capacity of the emergency and trauma departments and purchase the latest diagnostic technologies available including a state-of-the-art 64-slice CT (computed tomography) scanner.
Some of the highlights of the new ED include a completely redesigned emergency entrance and nurse’s station, a new ambulance entrance, waiting room and triage area, work space for paramedics, seven additional patient rooms and two new trauma bays. In total, 5,500 square feet of space has been added.
In addition, our new 64 slice CT scanner is one of only a handful available in the St. Louis region. The technology is already benefiting patients, by making exams shorter and more accurate than ever before. It provides unrivaled image quality and speed, producing nearly instantaneous three-dimensional images of any area of the body (including a rapidly moving heart).
Phase II
The ED will continue to be kept fully operational during the remainder of construction. Phase II will include renovation of the pediatric unit of the ED and the purchase of new digital radiology equipment. It is expected to be complete by summer of 2009.
The entire project was estimated at $10.3 million. The DePaul Foundation pledged to raise a portion of the funding. SSM Health Care will contribute the rest. To date, the Foundation has raised $1.3 million on behalf of the Health Center.
“That was the funding we needed to complete Phase I of the project. We hope to raise an additional $1 million thru a combination of donations and grant money by next July,” said Valerie Stricker, director of the DePaul Foundation.
The campaign is being chaired by Tim Wright, president of Covidien Ltd., and Kurt Mungenast, vice president with the Dave Mungenast Automotive Family. Alberici Healthcare Construction is performing the building work.
Located at the high traffic cross-section of I-270 and I-70, DePaul’s emergency department is North St. Louis County’s only level II trauma center and has been treating as many as 50,000 patients a year, when it was built to accommodate 35,000. This renovation was vital to helping us improve patient flow, decrease patient wait times and continue to meet the growing demand from the communities served.
