New emergency center at Three Rivers Healthcare

Business Today

POPLAR BLUFF -- Three Rivers Healthcare opened its new emergency center in mid-July.

Previously, staff was split between two separate emergency rooms. They are now combined at the hospital's north campus at 2620 North Westwood Blvd.

Emergency Department medical director Chris Pinderski said the new facility has two nurse practitioners, six nurses, a technician, a secretary and two physicians on duty between 2 p.m. and 2 a.m.

"We will increase the staffing as needed," said Pinderski.

According to Three Rivers president and CEO Timothy Brady, Kneibert Clinic, located next to the hospital's south campus, will continue to provide urgent-care services. Urgent care is for minor medical care not normally requiring an emergency room visit.

"By concentrating all of our emergency services at our north campus, we will have more staff in one location," said Emergency Department director Sherry Yarbrough. "With more staff, more exam rooms and more advanced equipment, patients can be seen faster."

According to hospital officials, the new emergency center is one of the area's largest and utilizes greater space, efficiency of personnel and advanced technology to better meet the needs of those who seek medical assistance.

It is estimated the new emergency center will serve about 40,000 patients annually, making it one of the busiest emergency rooms in outstate Missouri.

According to Greg Carda, Three Rivers vice president of support services and business development, $750,000 has been spent on equipment for the new center by the hospital's parent company, Tenet Health System. Tenet Health System has 116 hospitals in 17 states including seven in Missouri.

The 11,390-square-foot emergency center has 22 exam bays, a bay for a psychiatric holding room, two triage rooms, a decontamination room, a separate access point for ambulances and an enlarged admitting/cashier area.

The separate ambulance access point should help eliminate congestion at the emergency entrance. A pneumatic tube system has been constructed between the Emergency Department and the laboratory to speed turn-around time in getting lab reports to physicians. The new center also features a computer patient-tracking system that will reduce paperwork.

The center's decontamination room is a first for the area. The room, located by the ambulance entrance, can be used to decontaminate patients who have been exposed to hazardous materials such as chemical or biological agents. The room has a shower that drains into a containment tank.

"With the increased size, efficiency and new technology, our new emergency center will provide more advanced health care for our community," said Deanna Carter, a licensed practical nurse in the Emergency Department. "The new emergency center is really a must-have for the growth we're experiencing."