The Medical Center initiated a new plan to expand its emergency department, which the Board of Visitors will discuss Thursday at the Medical Center Operating Committee meeting. The expansion would be funded by the Medical Center’s operating revenue.
The Health System, which began formal discussions about the expansion in the summer of 2013, is proposing physical expansions to the emergency department, including a second story for perioperative services, along with expanding the number of beds available.
“Preliminary plans would expand the emergency department to as many as 80 beds, including an eight-bed psychiatric unit and a clinical decision-making unit to help determine whether patients can be safely discharged,” Medical Center spokesperson Eric Swensen said.
The Medical Center's emergency response facility is a Level One Trauma Center, providing services to both adults and children. It serves as a tertiary referral center for Central Virginia, Southwest Virginia and West Virginia.
The single-floor emergency department has not been expanded since it opened along with the University Hospital in 1989. It currently has 43 beds available, which must serve a large influx of patients — 58,544 patients have visited the emergency department in 2014.
“They do a fabulous job, but the space is — to say suboptimal would be generous,” University President Teresa Sullivan said. “They need a lot more space than what they have right now.”
The department is comprised of four different service divisions, including a Chest Pain Center for cardiovascular conditions, Express Care for minor emergencies, a Pediatric Emergency Department and a Women’s Center for Emergency Care to provide gynecological and obstetrical treatment.
The Health System is also considering building additional “interventional rooms” which could be used as operating or procedural rooms. Any interventional rooms would be built in addition to the proposed expansion of the emergency department.
“This expansion is needed to ensure the best possible experience for our patients when they come to the emergency department,” Swensen said. “For many patients, their first encounter with the Health System is through the emergency department.”
The proposal asks the Board for conceptual approval to go ahead with the expansion. The Board will then discuss the details of the expansion, determining how big the expansion should be and what should specifically be included.
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