Officials from Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato today cut the ribbon opening the new, $29.5 million Emergency Department expansion. This is the single largest expansion project in the organization’s 122-year history.
“This new space is designed to meet the growing needs of patients throughout the region and provide additional access to quality emergency health care,” says Greg Kutcher, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System in the region. “We are extremely proud of the facility; and our providers, nurses and staff who make our primary value – the needs of the patient come first – come alive in all they do.”
The new Emergency Department is approximately double the size of the previous space. It includes 27 new, private treatment rooms, two new trauma bays, four behavioral health treatment rooms, a bariatric room, a new ambulance garage and new decontamination facilities.
“For many people, the Emergency Department is the “front door” to the health care system,” says Rob Nesse, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System. “The more advanced, accessible and modern that “front door” is – the better the overall patient experience. This project helps us increase access to high-quality, patient-centered emergency medicine for the entire region.”
Need for this new facility grew out of increasing patient volumes. The previous Emergency Department was constructed in 1980 and built to accommodate 18,000 patients annually. Last year, the facility treated 27,000 patients.
“With advanced services such as trauma, interventional cardiology, neurosurgery and critical care medicine, we’re able to treat more patients, who need more specialized care – and we can do so close to home,” says Joachim Schugel, M.D., Director of Emergency Medicine for Mayo Clinic Health System in the region. “The new Emergency Department will improve patient flow, bring efficiencies to our work, enhance patient confidentiality and reflect our partnership with Mayo Clinic.”
Groundbreaking for the new Emergency Department was held on June 23, 2010, and the project was divided into two phases. The first phase included construction of new Emergency Department space, space for future expanded Perioperative services, a new below-grade loading dock and a new ambulance garage. That phase was completed and new Emergency Department space was opened in November. Phase two, which is now complete, included total remodeling of the previous Emergency Department to create one larger treatment area.
