By Ken Francis, Staff Writer
Members of the community gathered Monday at CentraCare Health-Monticello for the groundbreaking of the re-design project of the emergency department.
The year-long, $5.8 million project will feature a large new trauma room equipped with state-of-the-art technology; a behavioral health suite that will provide a safe environment for patients in need and staff members providing care; an enclosed pull-through, two-bay ambulance area; large patient rooms and a space for a future MRI update.
Joni Pawelk, director of Marketing and Community Relations for CentraCare Health - Monticello, said currently when patients come in they get admitted and walk through the working area of the emergency department.
“They see all nurses at their station and exam rooms are all circled around that,” she said.
In the new design, patients walk through a hallway and are escorted to newer, larger exam rooms.
“There will be more patient privacy. They won’t be seeing all the hustle and bustle, and won’t be seeing other patients receiving care.”
The new ambulance drive-through will have quick, direct access to the new trauma room, so drivers don’t have to pull up to the building, then back into a garage to let patients inside.
The main ER walk-in entrance will remain the same, and Pawelk said there won’t be any disruption to existing services during the reconstruction process.
“The last time the emergency room was remodeled was in the late 90s,” said Pawelk. “It was due for an update.”
Before the ceremonial groundbreaking, Chief Administrative Officer Bryan Bauck addressed the crowd.
“This is a big deal for us.
A thousand people a month come to our emergency department looking for care when they’re in time of crisis,” he said. “It’s extremely important to us that we can provide a facility that matches the service that our providers provide, that our staff provides and that everyone involved provides. This is going to enhance the patient experience, the staff through out and the provider work flow.
“When you come back in a year or so it will look a lot different. It will be better for patients and staff.”
