EDMONDS — It may be the most welcoming place you never want to visit.
Swedish Edmonds unveiled the hospital’s new emergency department on Saturday.
Throngs of visitors lined up at 11 a.m. for an open house. They toured a spacious lobby, where floor-to-ceiling glass panels somehow made things seem bright on a drizzly day. They saw still-unused exam rooms and new scanning equipment, as staff stood by to explain how it all works.
“It’s quite a bit different from the current space,” said Jennifer Graves, the hospital’s CEO.
The new facility is set to open to patients at 3 a.m. Tuesday, right on schedule.
It’s the second part of a three-stage expansion with a total cost of $63.5 million. The first phase was a new parking garage that opened last year. The final phase includes more imaging facilities and an observation area, set to open next year.
The two-story expansion building encompasses 77,000 square feet. It stands next to the main, nine-story hospital building. Most of the lower floor is taken up by the new emergency department. It’s a Level IV Trauma Center serving patients who are having chest pains, breathing difficulties, broken bones or head injuries. Four of the 28 exam rooms are designed for treating behavioral health issues.
“It’s going to help us in multiple ways,” said Dr. Bob Rutherford, director of the hospital’s emergency department. “It’s an opportunity to take care of patients in this new era of healthcare.”
The old department, which abuts the new one, was built in the 1970s, when administrators anticipated 25,000 patients per year. They’re now seeing about 45,000.
They’re also seeing a wider spectrum of injuries and ailments than in decades past, Rutherford said.
The new department is configured for better movement and communication. Ambulances will drop off patients on one side of the building, while the main public entrance is on the other.
Nurses, technicians and physicians gave advice throughout the design process, Graves said. They helped on details such as where to locate plug-ins and storage areas.
“There’s a saying that a lot of what caregivers do in older facilities is hunting and gathering,” she said.
A new CT scanner provides improved imaging with an equal or lower dose of radiation.
The second floor of the new building remains unfinished, allowing space for future programs.
The 7,600-foot lobby includes a Starbucks and a gift shop. Historical photos of Edmonds adorn one wall. Old-growth driftwood logs are incorporated as an architectural feature.
Swedish Edmonds was known as Stevens Hospital until 2010, when Swedish Health Services took over management. The tax-supported hospital first opened in 1964 after voters approved forming a hospital district.
When Swedish took charge in Edmonds, it promised to make upgrades for a growing community. The health care provider, which merged with Providence Medical Group in 2012, has invested millions in equipment and facilities. A new medical records system went live in 2012 and the Swedish Cancer Institute was completed on campus in 2013.
Funding for the latest expansion came from Swedish-Providence capital funds and donations, Graves said.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work, a lot of people coming together, to do this,” she said. “Promises were made when Swedish and the district came together on this. It’s terrific that the promise has been kept and the vision has come to fruition.”
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
Swedish Edmonds Emergency Department, quick facts:
Scheduled opening: 3 a.m. Tuesday
Twenty-eight exam rooms (including four for treating behavioral health issues)
Housed on lower floor of a new two-story building with 77,000 square feet
Second floor of new building includes 37,000 square feet of unfinished space for future programs
Address: 21601 76th Ave. W., Edmonds
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