SUFFOLK, Va. — When Sentara Obici Hospital opened its doors, its emergency department was set up to treat about 40,000 visitors. The hospital's president, Coleen Santa Ana, said for the past nine years the department has seen around 46,000 people annually.
Monday, the hospital took a huge step towards expanding and modernizing the facility, launching a project that will run about $13 million and add roughly 7,000 square feet of space to the building.
Santa Ana said the improvements will allow the emergency department to serve 73,000 patients each year which is vital as the community in and around Suffolk continued to grow.
"I think this is a huge deal. We haven't had any major renovations in the emergency department here in Suffolk, in the main campus, since we've opened," Santa Ana said.
The emergency department, which has 23 treatment spaces, will have room for 37 when the project is finished. That should translate into shorter wait times for patients. There will be more privacy for people, and there will be space for a behavioral health department.
"It shows our team and our community that we are really investing in them,” said Emergency Department Manager Lauren Lawless.
"It (the project) will help the efficiency of the team, we are able to treat and see more patients, which is what we want to focus on, providing as much care as we can as many people as we can,” said Director of the Emergency Department Miranda Powell.
During the construction, the emergency department walk-in space will move to the outpatient surgery entrance. Signs will be in place to guide people.
The project is expected to take 21 months to complete.