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Summa Akron City emergency department to open
The expansive floor plan, the unique, partially-enclosed ambulance bay and the state-of-the art technology installed in the new Summa Akron City Hospital emergency department is all there for one reason: To save lives.
When Phase I of the project opens for patients on Jan. 19 after 22 months under construction, the emergency department will be one of the region's largest and most advanced.
"We have designed the new emergency department so that everything our patients need can be done efficiently, with compassion and with the latest technology," said Dr. Michelle Blanda, chair of emergency medicine and trauma services for Summa Health System.
"We'll also continue our commitment to lifesaving speed and quality."
The emergency department's physician, nursing and paramedic workstations are designed to facilitate teamwork and a paperless workflow.
The digital marquees and patient tracker boards, computers on wheels and wireless voice communicators will allow staff to see and hear what they need at the push of a button so they can spend more time giving care at the bedside. Via ongoing communication with ambulance squads in the community, the emergency department will work to have equipment and personnel waiting to provide immediate care to patients as they arrive.
Summa Akron City Hospital is a Level I Trauma Center, a Certified Chest Pain Center and a Certified Stroke Center. As the tertiary center for all Summa facilities, Summa Akron City Hospital accepts patient transfers throughout the region via ground and air transport.
More than 1,300 ambulance squads arrive to the Emergency Department in a single month. Patient drive-up access for the emergency department is via N. Forge Street in Akron.
In 2011, the Emergency Department's 162 nurses and paramedics, 46 physicians and 30 resident doctors treated nearly 79,000 patients or about 216 patients per day. Generally, about 60 patients each day are admitted to Summa Akron City Hospital for overnight care. The current emergency department was designed to treat just 52,000 patients per year, and Summa Akron City Hospital is anticipating providing emergency care to for more than 82,000 people in 2012.
Phase I of the project consists of the emergency department expansion, and Phase II involves remodeling the original space, which will be complete in June. Phase I adds 44 patient rooms, 10 triage rooms and 85,000 square feet.
When Phase II opens, another 32 beds and 21,000 square feet will be available for patient care. Phase II will also include a geriatric emergency department designed specifically for the needs of Northeast Ohio's seniors. The original emergency department was build for just 43 beds across 19,000 square feet.
The project is part of a $96 million plan announced in March 2010 to grow Summa's comprehensive emergency network. Summa opened its first free-standing emergency department adjacent to the Summa Health Center at Lake Medina in December and is currently building a free-standing emergency department that will open near the Summa Health Center at Green later this year.
As part of the plan, the emergency department at Summa Barberton Hospital is currently being renovated, and renovations at Summa Wadsworth Rittman-Hospital's emergency department were finished in summer 2011. Summa's emergency network also consists of emergency departments at Summa Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls and Summa St. Thomas Hospital in Akron and Robinson Memorial Hospital in Ravenna, an affiliate of Summa Health System.