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We hope you will never need to visit the ED.
But if you find yourself in need of emergency
care, here are four things you’ll like to know:
We see patients quickly.
With 12
beds and improved procedures, wait
times are down significantly. Take direct
bedding, for instance. It means we
move patients to treatment areas right
away. But not all of them! In order to
speed things up for patients with minor
medical concerns, we’ve created what
we call vertical treatment. “Vertical
treatment means you don’t have to lie
down in bed in order to be seen,” says
Tim Hall, ED Supervisor and a driving
force behind many of the procedural
changes. “If you think about it, when
you go to your physician’s office, you’re
not actually lying in a bed. For many
examinations, we can take care of you
sitting up just as effectively.”
The department’s goal is to have every
patient be seen by a doctor within
30 minutes of entering the door,
depending on how many patients
there are and whether their concerns
are critical. Door-to-discharge times
have been cut in half since the new ED
opened its doors.
Privacy has improved.
In the old
ED, patients were seen in a single
large room with curtain partitions.
Private rooms are now the norm.
They’re spacious, with areas for family
members or others to sit and space
for your belongings. They’re also
quieter. That means they’re better
suited for conversation between staff
and patients.
Staffing has advanced.
The ED
is fortunate to have a number of
dedicated, long-term staff members.
But the renovations have brought in
additional staff, many of whom have
worked in EDs that offer the highest
level of emergency care. That’s brought
a new perspective to the department,
as well as valuable experience.
“We have taken care of the sickest
people that you could possibly
imagine,” Dr. Look says. “It gives us
a calm presence. There are certain
people who may need a higher level of
care after being stabilized. But our
ED can take care of virtually any
emergency patient.”
Technology has been updated.
One
of the places you’ll see this is bedside
computers. It’s part of the movement
toward electronic medical records. And
it benefits patients too. When providers
issue orders, they do so via computer.
Often, this helps treatment get started
quickly. What’s more, it reduces the
potential for medical errors.
Emergency Department:
16 Months, 4 Fast Facts
You may have come to the grand opening celebration of the new emergency department (ED) more than
a year ago. In the year since the ED at St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake opened its doors, the results have
been phenomenal.
The 4,100-square-foot addition and upgrade have transformed the department. And its beauty is more
than surface-level. The remake has strengthened St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake’s ability to provide
emergency care. “It’s been great," says Rodney Look, MD, FACEP, chief of emergency services at the
hospital. “The new facility has allowed us to update the way that we’re able to see patients.”
To find out more about
our services, go online to
www.sthelenahospitalclearlake.org.
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Care you can count on
According to Hall, “Our ED staff and
leadership truly appreciate all the
thank you cards they have received
from grateful patients. We will keep
striving to exceed our patients’
expectations.”