Franciscan St. Margaret Health-Dyer Continues Progress on Emergency Department and Surgical and Lab Renovations

rot3Significant progress has been made toward completion of $11 million Emergency Department, laboratory and surgical unit projects that began last October at Franciscan St. Margaret Health-Dyer and are scheduled for completion in December.

“The first phase of the ED project is complete, with the opening a new, exclusive behavioral health consultation suite and the freeing up of space to build new medical treatment space,” said Dan Ratko, hospital project manager of construction.

The next phase will include a building addition that will increase available space by approximately 25 percent, as well as the creation of seven large exam rooms and three advanced trauma bays. These are expected to be open by the end of summer, he added.

“The goal is to create a more efficient space for caregivers to see patients,” Ratko said.

“An improved nurse and physician work station, with direct line of site and upgraded monitors connected to all care rooms, is an important part of this renovation.”

In addition to technological and physical improvements, a five-bed observation suite and cardiac stress lab will be housed in the department to provide more convenient and faster patient care. A “results-holding” area in the triage space will be used to help make rooms available to see patients more quickly.

“At our recent construction open house, physicians and staff were able to get a sneak preview of our upcoming OR room, which is under construction. This 720-square-foot operating suite will include integration technology that can be used with the da Vinci robot surgical system, allowing easier configuration and quicker reconfiguration between cases,” Ratko said.

That construction also is expected to be completed in late summer. In addition to the operating space, new pre-admission testing exam rooms are being built, as are larger locker rooms for male and female physicians.

“The goal of the project is to expand a comprehensive emergency center of excellence. We are remodeling and expanding the current surgical space, remodeling and improving the surgical preadmission space and expanding and improving the central sterile processing department for surgery. We also are improving the main corridor and flow to the Emergency Department on the main level,” Tom Gryzbek, hospital president, said, adding, “The new design is targeted at meeting the ever-growing population in south Lake County and to help achieve our continual growth in the emergency services and surgical services areas.”