CoxHealth Shows off its new Emergency and Trauma Department

As of 5 am on September 29th, the new Emergency and Trauma Department at Cox South will open for business. KSMU's Michele Skalicky has more on the new addition...

The 78,000 square-foot facility nearly triples the number of beds in the old emergency department. It’s expected the new department will be able to accommodate 110,000 visits annually. Currently Cox sees approximately 65,000 patients in its emergency department, so there’s room for growth.Tyler Hedden, vice-president of the emergency departments at CoxHealth, is proud of the new facility. He expects hospitals across the nation to look to Cox when planning their own emergency and trauma centers…

The new Lipscomb Family Wing—named for Jack and Cathryn Cox Lipscomb and Larry and Tracy Lipscomb who donated money for the emergency and trauma department—contains five pods that can be opened or closed throughout the day as needed. At first, only 3 pods will be used—the rest will open when volume increases.Each pod is similar to the others with an OB exam room, medical critical care rooms and isolation rooms so no one pod is overloaded with trauma patients. There is one pod, however, which is located adjacent to the new ambulance bay that treats only trauma patients.Technology is similar to what the old emergency department contained. But Hedden says new imaging technology will be kinder to children who need to be x-rayed…The facility is designed so that diagnostics are at the bedside with x-ray, lab and a satellite pharmacy in each room. Hedden says that should reduce the time it takes to be treated.Each room also contains a color-coded storage cart—identical those in other rooms—so that, no matter what room they’re in, staff will know where supplies are. The carts are locked and can only be opened by staff.And some rooms can be sealed off in case a patient needs to isolated…

The Lipscomb Family Wing includes a 26-bed clinical decision unit, which allows staff to determine if a patient needs to be admitted to the hospital.There are also two new elevated helipads with dedicated elevator access to the trauma unit. They and the walkways leading to them are heated so they won’t ice over in the winter.The facility also contains indoor and outdoor decontamination areas with wastewater directed to an underground storage tank. The new emergency department and trauma center is designed with natural stone and wood to mimic the Ozarks outdoors, and there’s an outdoor space with a variety of plants. Nature photographs are scattered throughout.A special room has been designated to allow family members a chance to say good-bye to loved ones who have died. There’s also a chapel and a disaster management room.Staff was involved in planning the new facility from the beginning, which Tyler Hedden says will benefit patients…

There’s a main waiting area, but smaller waiting areas are scattered throughout so that family members can be closed to their loved ones who are receiving treatment.The total cost of the project was $52 million. It was financed by a September 2008 bond issuance and by private donations.CoxHealth will show off the new Emergency and Trauma Center with an open house and tours tomorrow (9/25) from 10 to 2.