State-of-the-art ED is key component of St. Peter’s Health Partners’ $99 million plan to transform health care in Troy; features region’s first Senior Emergency Room
St. Peter’s Health Partners (SPHP) today unveiled the new Samaritan Hospital Emergency Department.
Featuring state-of-the-art technology, innovative facilities to enhance high-quality care and patient comfort, and the Capital Region’s first Senior Emergency Room, the new emergency department will begin accepting patients at 4 a.m. on Thursday, December 7.
From that point forward, the new emergency department will be open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
“We are tremendously pleased to open the new emergency department at Samaritan Hospital, and provide a higher level of care and compassion than ever before to Troy and surrounding communities,” said James K. Reed, M.D., president and chief executive officer of SPHP. “This milestone would not have been possible without the support, talent, and dedication of so many people. We thank everyone who shared our vision of a healthier Troy and helped make that dream a reality.”
“This new emergency department was designed by our staff and for our staff, and every aspect of the unit reflects two guiding priorities – providing the best care and the best experience for our patients,” said Norman Dascher Jr., chief executive officer of Samaritan and St. Mary’s hospitals, and vice president of Acute Care Troy at SPHP. “The new patient-centered emergency department showcases how we are truly transforming health care in this great community.”
New Samaritan Hospital Emergency Department
At 32,000 square feet, the new emergency department is four times larger than the hospital’s previous emergency department built in the mid-1990s. The new emergency department can accommodate up to 72,000 patient visits annually, nearly double the capacity of the previous emergency department.
The new department features three triage rooms and a total of 44 patient treatment spaces, including six behavioral health rooms, five rapid assessment areas, two two-bed resuscitation rooms, and 29 private patient exam rooms – five of which are designated specifically for seniors.
The new emergency department was specifically designed and built to be patient-centered. Three individual staff work areas are surrounded by private patient rooms so members of the care team – including physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses, case managers, pharmacists, and other providers – may easily access each of their patients.
“The design and layout of the new emergency department at Samaritan Hospital will allow our providers to more quickly triage patients and more effectively manage those with acute medical conditions,” said John Janikas, M.D., director of emergency medicine for Samaritan, St. Mary’s, and Albany Memorial hospitals. “This state-of-the-art facility, combined with the skill and experience of our team of doctors, physician assistants, and nurses, will help our patients receive efficient and high-quality care.”
“After many years of planning and development, we are excited to open the new emergency department at Samaritan Hospital, and bring emergency care in Troy to a whole new level,” said Judy Quinn, BSN, RN, nurse manager of emergency services at Samaritan Hospital. “We have been preparing for the transition to the new facility, and look forward to providing high-quality, compassionate, and patient-centered care for our patients and their families.”
In the previous emergency department, patients were frequently transported around the facility depending on the type of care required. In the new emergency department, all patient rooms are set up identically. Specialty carts, such as cardiac, ear-nose-throat, gynecological, or orthopedic, are then brought into the room depending on the patient’s specific injury or illness.
In addition to promoting the efficient delivery of high-quality care, the new emergency department was designed to improve the experience of patients and family members. Amenities include bedside registration, televisions, and a family gathering room. The new emergency department has a separate entrance for ambulances, so walk-in patients have easier access and a less stressful experience upon arrival.
Senior Emergency Room
In direct response to the growing need in the Capital Region for emergency services for individuals aged 65 and older, Samaritan Hospital’s new emergency department features the area’s first Senior Emergency Room.
The unique, evidence-based Senior Emergency Room includes five rooms specifically designed to address the special medical needs, preferences, and physical comforts of senior patients, and help make them feel safe, secure, and informed.
Physicians and nurses in the Senior Emergency Room receive extensive education and specialized training in caring for the senior population. Additionally, Senior Emergency Room patients receive a more age-specific, specialized assessment upon arrival, including information about pre-existing medical conditions, medications, risk for dementia and depression, risk for fall, and at-home resources and caregiver assistance.
The new Senior Emergency Room represents a fundamental change in the culture and philosophy of care for seniors in the emergency setting. The concept builds on SPHP’s expertise and leadership in providing quality care to seniors and the elderly though its Continuing Care division, including The Eddy’s network of long-term care services and facilities.
Transforming Health Care in Troy
The new emergency department is the first unit to open in Samaritan Hospital’s new five-story Heinrich Medicus Pavilion, the centerpiece of SPHP’s $99 million Troy Master Facilities Plan (MFP) first announced in 2013. Over the next several months, the pavilion will become home to the hospital’s intensive care unit, progressive care unit, and private medical/surgical inpatient rooms.
A strategic redevelopment project, the MFP was designed to transform health care in Troy, Rensselaer County, and the surrounding communities. The comprehensive plan includes the construction, renovation, and modernization of facilities in Troy, and called for the transition of Samaritan to the sole provider of inpatient acute care hospital services in Troy, as well as the transition of St. Mary’s to an advanced outpatient campus.
Many of the plan’s major components have been completed, including: a new 570-car parking garage at the Samaritan campus; the relocation and opening of the Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing at St. Mary’s; the new St. Mary’s Hospital Hildegard Medicus Cancer Center; and the new Women’s Imaging Center at St. Mary’s Hospital.
The Heinrich Medicus Pavilion, for which SPHP broke ground in November 2015, is expected to be completed in the spring of 2018.
St. Mary’s Hospital Emergency Rooms Transitions to St. Peter’s Urgent Care
With the opening of the new emergency department in the Heinrich Medicus Pavilion at Samaritan Hospital, the St. Mary’s Hospital emergency department will transition into SPHP’s fifth St. Peter’s Urgent Care location. The new urgent care facility will begin accepting patients at 9 a.m. on Thursday, December 7.
Operated by St. Mary’s and staffed by providers experienced in the care of acute illness and injury, the urgent care facility will treat individuals of all ages whose illness or injury would benefit from some immediate attention, but is not severe enough for a trip to the hospital emergency department.
The new St. Peter’s Urgent Care location at St. Mary’s will be able to address a variety of medical problems that need to be treated right away, but are not considered life-threatening emergencies. Some of the most common illnesses and injuries treated at urgent care include coughs, colds and sore throats, sprains and strains, as well as wounds and lacerations.
St. Peter’s Urgent Care at St. Mary’s will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, on a walk-in basis.
Patients of St. Peter’s Urgent Care at St. Mary’s may also use “Skip the Wait,” an online scheduling tool for all St. Peter’s Urgent Care locations. Patients select a time convenient to them, and Skip the Wait will hold their spot in line and send a text message when it is time for the patient to show up at the office. Patients also receive text updates if their time changes.
For more information on the new St. Peter’s Urgent Care location at St. Mary’s, please call 518-268-5234.
