Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

From the

Official News Magazine of the Diocese of Spokane

(From the Sept. 30, 2004 edition of the Inland Register)

St. Mary Medical Center, Walla Walla, has been implementing expansion and improvement projects, including a new entrance (pictured) and a state-of-the-art Emergency Department. (IR graphic from St. Mary Medical Center, Walla Walla)

St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla opened a new, state-of-the-art Emergency Department earlier this month.

The expansion project also included a new lobby and front entrance for the hospital.

St. Mary, founded by the Sisters of Providence 125 years ago, is the only hospital in the Walla Walla valley staffed with emergency-medicine-residency-trained board-certified emergency physicians 24 hours a day, and nurses specially trained in emergency care. As a Level III Trauma Center, St. Mary continues to be the primary receiving hospital for trauma care in the Walla Walla region.

The front of the hospital is now facing east toward Fifth Avenue, which places it closer to parking for patient convenience. The entry way swings in a wide, elegant arc and is covered to protect people from the weather.

Inside, visitors will find a beautiful, spacious reception area with ample seating, a gas fireplace, and skylights to provide a bright, wide-open feel. The new Admitting Department is designed to give patients a high degree of privacy during registration.

Considerable attention has been given to the greatly expanded Emergency Department, with an eye toward enhancing patient privacy and dignity, maintaining security and safety, and providing the medical staff with an efficient, well-equipped facility capable of providing the highest level of care.

The new Emergency Department has two separate, covered entries – one for ambulatory patients, and one for ambulances. The covered ambulance entrance is equipped with lighting, external electrical outlets and water hose bibs so it could be used as a triage center in the event of a mass casualty incident.

The Emergency Department includes:

• Fifteen private patient care rooms, including two for triage. Previously, the St. Mary Emergency Department had 10 patient care rooms.

In addition to general exam rooms, the Department also includes separate, specialized exam rooms for pediatrics, orthopedics, gynecology, and ear, nose and throat.

Several observation or longer stay rooms that can be used if the patient needs to be observed or treated over the span of 8 to 24 hours. The area now has a security exam room for patients who may be a danger to self or others because of mental health issues or drug and alcohol problems, as well as critical care/trauma rooms for the most severe cases.

• A security office with a view of the traffic flow in front of the hospital entrance, as well as into the reception and lounge area.

• A dedicated reception area, separate from that of the rest of the facility. There is room for around 20 to 30 people to wait comfortably in small groups.

• A private family room. When a loved one has suffered a potentially life-threatening illness or injury, this room allows the family to gather in a private area separate from the lounge. Physicians also can reach this room without going through public corridors.

• A computerized heating, ventilation and air conditioning system that can isolate the air supply of the Emergency Department, and can control the airflow to individual areas to prevent airborne pathogens from entering the rest of the hospital. The system also can create additional positive airflow to keep outside air out, as might be necessary if there were a disaster in the community involving a chemical or biohazard.

A raised heliport for medical flights has been constructed. The heliport, on the south side of the hospital, has a ramp that feeds directly into the Emergency Department. The heliport has a heating coil beneath the surface to prevent it from becoming slippery in the winter.

The completion of the new front entrance, Admitting Department, Emergency Department and heliport are part of the first phase in a $28 million expansion project. The project is being paid for by money the hospital has saved over many years.

Construction began in 2003. In addition to the Emergency Department expansion, improvements include the renovation and expansion of the pharmacy, a large mammography suite, and a new magnetic resonance imaging suite for a new MRI. Once the Emergency Department moves into its new space, the space it vacates will be renovated to expand the St. Mary Imaging Department. That work should be completed by the end of this year.

The first phase of construction, the Eastside Project, added 26,240 square feet onto the hospital, and renovated an additional 9,750 square feet.

Once the Eastside Project is complete, St. Mary Medical Center will focus on two more projects. The hospital plans to expand and renovate the St. Mary Regional Cancer Center, adding approximately 22,920 square feet of new construction and renovating 1,860 square feet. It also will expand Same Day Surgery, adding approximately 13,910 square feet of new construction and renovating an additional 6,450 square feet.