Published: October 31, 2009 11:29 pm      

‘A lot more efficient’

New medical center’s Emergency Department draws positive reviews

CUMBERLAND — Wiring still hangs from some of the ceilings in the Emergency Department of the soon-to-open Western Maryland Regional Medical Center, and waiting room lamps still have plastic on them.

But area emergency workers who got a first glimpse of the new hospital on Saturday liked what they saw.

“It’s beautiful,” said Pamela McMaster, an emergency medical technician with the Oldtown Volunteer Fire Company. “The trauma rooms are big, and you can go in and out of them a lot easier. And a lot of them are right here by the nurses station. So I think that’s going to help.”

Emergency workers from across the region took half-hour tours of the new ER during Saturday’s daylong open house. With two sections — urgent care and “fast track,” for patients who aren’t as ill — the new ER has a total of 44 rooms, including four trauma bays and several “negative pressure” rooms to isolate patients who might be infectious.

It’s scheduled to open at 6 a.m. Nov. 21, said Bill Hardy, pre-hospital care coordinator. That’s the day Western Maryland Health System plans to move all patients from Braddock and Memorial hospitals to the new building.

But local ambulances won’t be taking them.

Though plans initially were to pay local ambulance crews to move patients throughout the day, insurance requirements forced WMHS to make a change, said Jo Wilson, vice president of ancillary support operations.

“Our insurance carrier told us we must use ambulances equipped with advanced cardiac life support,” said Wilson, adding that a majority of local ambulances are equipped with basic life support. “It just wasn’t feasible with the local resources of our community.”

WMHS, which anticipates moving about 130 patients from Braddock and 80 patients from Memorial, has contracted with two ambulance companies, one in Hagerstown and one in Baltimore, she said. A total of 30 ambulances will be used, she said.

Locally, there are about 21 or 22 ambulances available, she said.

“It’s a disappointment for them, and it’s a disappointment for us,” Wilson said of not being able to use local resources. “But the good part about this is that while we’re moving patients, our local emergency units won’t be tied up.”

On Saturday, while emergency workers toured the new ER, Cancer Center employees participated in a daylong orientation to prepare for what’s ahead. Cancer patients have been invited to a Tuesday evening open house to get familiar with the new building, said Julie Hardy, operations manager.

“The thing that I really appreciate is that when we were designing this hospital, the employees — the people that actually do the work — had a lot of input on what they wanted,” said Julie Hardy, who walked through the new ER with half a dozen oncology nurses Saturday afternoon. “Because who better to say how things are going to work than the people who do it all the time.”

Among significant changes in the Cancer Center: Waiting rooms have been enlarged and separated, parking has been expanded, and a “fast track” area similar to the ER’s is being added, after a pilot program over the summer.

In the ER, separating urgent patients from those who are less ill is expected to significantly reduce waiting times, said Lois Liams, director of the Emergency Department.

“Right now we’re operating at Memorial with three fast track units, and it’s very, very backed up all the time,” said Liams. The new hospital has 18 fast track rooms, she said.

Hospital leaders want feedback from emergency personnel about the new set-up, Bill Hardy told one group at the end of their tour.

“Until you get down to the nitty gritty of everyday operations, there will probably be just some small things we’ll want to tweak a little bit to make it better for everybody,” said Hardy.

Some emergency workers expressed concern about a lack of parking spaces for ambulances. But on Saturday, a majority of feedback was positive.

“I really like it,” said Tammy Harris, with Frostburg Area Ambulance Service. “I think it’s going to be a lot more efficient.”

Contact Kristin Harty Barkley at kharty@times-news.com.