Saint Francis emergency department expansion meets increasing need

The use of emergency rooms is on the rise, with more than 119 million visits reported in the most recent data (2006) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That marks a 32 percent increase from 1996. Likewise, there is increasing need for emergency care in the Cape Girardeau region. Saint Francis Medical Center is expanding its Gene E. Huckstep Emergency Center/Level III Trauma Center to meet that need. The project, which will be completed in late spring 2010, is especially important to the area because it is the region's only state-designated Level III Trauma Center. This acknowledges that Saint Francis has the resources immediately available to provide efficient medical care and surgical interventions to treat the most serious life-threatening and disabling injuries.

"The reason we are doing this expansion is to increase the ability of patients to access emergency care easily and efficiently," said M. Kevin Hammond, MD, emergency medicine physician on staff at Saint Francis. "Efficiency is key so we can provide our patients the very best care while also maintaining a good rate of turnover."

Adding nearly 30,000 square feet to the current 11,600, the expansion will bring important resources and state-of-the-art technology, enhance efficiency, and take emergency care to a higher level in the region. It will house Saint Francis' certified Chest Pain Center and accredited Stroke Center. The expanded Emergency and Trauma Center also will include additional imaging technology and use an automated documentation system to increase patient safety and save critical time.

Most of the 26 private treatment rooms will have direct access to bathrooms, and three internal waiting areas will allow families to remain close to their loved ones. Built around a universal-room model, the design will give physicians, nurses and staff greater flexibility in caring for patients and allow patients to receive care in one room. Created with input from Saint Francis' emergency medicine physicians and staff, the design team finalized the expansion plans after an extensive review of other emergency centers around the nation.

The Emergency and Trauma Center serves as a resource for five states and nearly 650,000 people. It treats more than 30,000 emergency patients and more than 2,100 trauma patients each year. Medical Center-based, emergency medicine physicians staff the center 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Saint Francis' Emergency and Trauma Center recently received reaccreditation as the only state-designated Level III Trauma Center in the region. "All accredited trauma centers must meet a stringent set of requirements, which are re-evaluated every five years," said Robert Grayhek, MBA, BSN, RN, director of Trauma and Disaster Services at Saint Francis. "The accreditation process examines regulatory compliance within the categories of quality, education, systems, personnel and facilities and involves both substantial documentation and an on-site review." Saint Francis president and chief executive officer Steven C. Bjelich, FACHE-D, said, "Because of the Medical Center's commitment to the community, it invests in the development, continued improvement and certification necessary to be deemed the region's only Level III Trauma Center."