January 05, 2007

Turlock – Wednesday, January 3, 2007, patients at Emanuel Medical Center began receiving healthcare services in the new Emergency and Critical Care Departments located in the new three-story Emanuel Critical Care Center in Turlock.

 

Opening last week was the first floor Emergency Department and the second floor Critical Care Department in the new healthcare facility.  In April 2007, the third floor with all private rooms and the rooftop Heliport are scheduled to open for patient care.  Construction started on August 12, 2004 with the official ground breaking for the $30 million building that adds 64,000 square feet of private patient rooms and treatment areas to the central California medical campus.

 

The new healthcare building represents the largest expansion to the 347 – bed multi-level medical campus since the 1966 construction of the main hospital at Delbon and Olive Avenues.  The original Emergency Department was built to serve only 16,000 patients a year at the hospital, officials’ estimate that during 2006 the facility cared for approximately 53,000 emergency patients.

 

The new Emergency Department includes:

* 20,000 sq. feet linear design to expand and contract as patient load varies

* Community donations through Legacy Circle of Emanuel raised $6.5 million of the $30 million project

* 17 private patient treatment rooms

* Four (4) acute private treatment rooms (a.k.a. resuscitation rooms designed larger than a standard treatment room to accommodate trauma-related medical equipment and a larger care team)

* Dedicated decontamination room to treat patients exposed to hazardous materials

* Dedicated room (three beds) for patients waiting for test results only, or admission to the hospital

* Two (2) triage stations featuring private rooms for patient confidentiality

* Most patients will experience bedside registration (admitting staff will use laptop computers at patient’s bedside)

* 2,200 square foot family/patient waiting area

* Ambulance entrance located separately from the patient/family entrance

* A security station staffed 24 hours a day

     

The Critical Care Department on the second floor includes:

* Coronary care, post-operative care, surgical care, and medical intensive care

* Size:  22,328 sq. ft.

* 12 critical care private patient rooms (includes two (2) isolation rooms)

* 20 progressive care (telemetry) private patient rooms

* Intermediate care patient rooms designed to accommodate additional critical care patients if needed

* Entire floor designed to facilitate the use of computerized medical documentation for all caregivers

* All patient rooms on this floor are over-sized, designed especially to accommodate family-centered care (providing space for and accommodations of sleeper/recliners, reading lights, etc. for patient’s support person)

* Entire floor equipped with automated/computerized medication dispensing system

 

Emanuel Medical Center is owned and operated by the Evangelical Covenant Church which founded the hospital in 1917.  The Turlock campus includes a 153 bed acute care hospital, Cypress of Emanuel, a 49-bed residential care facility, Brandel Manor, a 145-bed skilled nursing facility, and the organization provides a broad range of services that includes Cancer Treatment, Imaging, Pediatric, Medical, Surgical, Birthing Center, Cardiology, Laboratory, Hospice, Home Health, Community Education and Spiritual Support.

 

For more information about Emanuel Medical Center’s healthcare services or the names of physicians that practice at the medical center, visit the hospitals’ website at www.emanuelmedicalcenter.org