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| A new look. The Medical Mall at St. Mary's Hospital opened in January. |
It's hard to believe we're nearing the end of another calendar year. The new year is when most of us reflect on our accomplishments of the year that's ending and look ahead to the next year. To say 2002 was a good year for Carondelet Health would be an understatement. It was a year of incredible growth for St. Mary's Hospital of Blue Springs-starting with the opening of the medical mall in January and ending with the opening of the expanded Emergency Department last month.
"It's just incredible," says Gordon Docking, CEO, St. Mary's Hospital. "This year, we've opened 100,000 square feet of space. That's more than the area of the original hospital."
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| The expanded and renovated Emergency Department opened in November. |
Ask Judy Avise, RN, director of Critical Care, what is the biggest plus to the expanded Emergency Department? She'll tell you, "more space, more space, more space. It's so much better for everyone-patients, families, staff, physicians, EMS workers-everyone! Not only have we gone from eight rooms to 18, we've added a decontamination room, separate entrances for ambulances and the public, a serenity room and a separate triage area. It's just easier to get around and there is much more privacy for our patients."
Avise says the added security is a benefit for patients and staff. "Our security officers now have their own space right by the entrances. They can see everything that happens. And not just anybody can come walking through the treatment areas-it's a locked unit. In this day, that's important."
The new ER has its own x-ray room, which is expected to cut wait times. "We've added staff to help cut wait times as well," says Avise. "The new department is just more efficient. The ER had had the same space for more than 20 years-this is a huge improvement."
"Both the ER expansion and the medical mall for outpatient procedures were long overdue," says Docking. "Blue Springs and eastern Jackson County really needed more services. St. Mary's Hospital not only looks more modern, the changes help us keep up with the growing demand. The feedback from our customers has been very good."
As expected, volumes for outpatient surgeries, GI and cardiology procedures have increased. Demand for Radiology has increased so much a second CT scanner is in the works. The Radiology Department has added to staff and now offers mammography from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday-Friday.
"The extended hours have made getting a mammogram convenient for working women," says Lisa Simpson, RTM. "They can come before or after work. The wait time for an appointment has gone from eight weeks to now just a week or two."
The second floor of the medical mall is seeing some growth as well. "A cardiology group (Clinical Cardiovascular Associates) has moved its office to the second floor-directly over the Cardiology Department," says Docking. "And, we have a wound treatment center which includes a hyperbaric oxygen chamber in the works. We expect that to be up and running in the late spring or early fall.
Docking says other projects at St. Mary's Hospital are important to patient care as well. A second C-section room is being built in The Birthing Center. "We've seen more deliveries so we wanted to increase our capacity to handle emergencies. It's best to be prepared when you're talking about something that important."
The dust is settling at St. Mary's Hospital for now, but Docking is always looking ahead. "We have a few more 'home improvement' projects on our wish list," he says. "Once you get started, you want to make everything better."
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