TOPPING OFF EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT EXPANSION
03/13/2009
"Topping Off" at Doylestown Hospital:
A Big Milestone for a Big Project
It's an exciting time at Doylestown Hospital! It's not every day a new emergency department gets "topped off." The hospital held a special ceremony for the placement of the last steel beam of its new and expanded Emergency Department on Thursday, March 12, 2009.
Major donors from the community had the opportunity to sign the final beam outside of the Main Lobby. Associates and volunteers had signed another beam earlier in the day. A giant crane lifted these last beams to the top of the building, marking a major milestone in the construction of the new emergency department. Since the groundbreaking on May 12, 2008, construction crews have been busy working on the $74 million project, which is expected to be completed in December 2009.
The new ED will move from its current location to a more visible and accessible site on the east side of the main campus, and will increase in size from 11,500 square feet to 55,756 square feet. An expanded facility, better design and more sophisticated systems will give our ED staff the tools they need to provide world-class care. Such efficiencies will also promote faster movement through the system, reducing the time that patients spend in the Emergency Department.
Features of this comprehensive project include:
• 40 private treatment areas, each with its own bathroom and family seating area, affording patients the greatest measure of privacy and comfort and providing ample space for bedside computers and equipment
• chest pain center
• pediatric treatment area
• indoor Hazmat/bioterrorism treatment facilities
• infrastructure for future rooftop helipad
• expanded HVAC capabilities and other facility support functions in a new basement to be constructed below the ED
• second floor space above the new ED that will accommodate 40 additional private medical/surgical rooms
• A 490-space parking garage will also be built. The first phase of the garage will include one story with a pedestrian tunnel connecting it to the new ED.
The project was undertaken as a direct response to community need. There has been a dramatic increase in Emergency Department visits at Doylestown Hospital-from 25,000 in 1998 to 38,000 in 2006, a 52% increase in just eight years. Doylestown Hospital is dedicated to its commitment of providing the best care to the community and its growing needs.
