Parkland’s new Emergency Department opens August 20
Rees-Jones Trauma Center at Parkland is state-of-the-art
The Emergency Department at Parkland Memorial Hospital is one of the busiest in the nation. People brought to Parkland’s ED needing life-saving care will soon be treated in a new, state-of-the-art medical center.
On August 20, the new Parkland hospital will open for business and the three-day process of transferring patients from the 1950’s era facility to the new building will begin. Key to the transition is the opening of the Emergency Department. At 6 a.m. on that date, the Rees-Jones Trauma Center, Emergency Department, Urgent Care Emergency Department and Labor & Delivery services in the new Parkland Memorial Hospital will open for business at its new location, 5200 Harry Hines Blvd. Simultaneously, the current hospital will stop receiving new emergency patients and those arriving for care via ambulance will be taken to the new location. Parkland staff will continue to care for all patients in these departments at the current facility until the last person is treated.
“Nearly 82 percent of our patients enter the system through the Emergency Department,” said Clifann McCarley, RN, MBA, Parkland’s Vice President of Nursing for Emergency Services. “Therefore it’s important that the ED be fully operational on day one.”
‘Fully operational’ means that the new ED – more than 120,000 square feet dedicated to an average of 700-plus patients who seek treatment in Parkland’s ED each day – is ready for business. The new ED nearly triples the size of the existing department. In fiscal year 2014, more than 159,600 patients were seen in Parkland’s main ED. Another 69,366 patients were treated in the Urgent Care Emergency Department.
“Along with more space, one of the features of the new ED is privacy, which is extremely important. Instead of being separated by curtains, each patient will be treated in private rooms grouped together in pods to help expedite emergency care,” said John Pease, MD, Parkland’s Chief of Emergency Services and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “The fully self-contained pods include everything necessary to support the needs of patients. The 110 larger exam rooms allow ample space for caregivers and family.”
Located within the new ED is the Rees-Jones Trauma Center at Parkland where those patients who have life-threatening injuries receive care in one of the busiest and most recognized trauma centers in the country. As a Level I trauma center, Parkland has 24-hour in-house coverage by surgeons and prompt availability of specialties such as orthopedics, neurosurgery, anesthesiology and radiology, among many others.
“Patients arriving via the helipad will use one of two ‘megavators,’ elevators that zip down 17 floors in 32 seconds to the Trauma Center,” said Alexander Eastman, MD, MPH, Parkland’s Trauma Medical Director and Chief of the Rees-Jones Trauma Center and Assistant Professor of Surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “When every second counts, it’s critical that we get the patient to the Trauma Center as quickly as possible.”
The new Trauma Center increases the number of exam rooms from the current nine to 10 rooms. Four of the new 10 rooms have X-ray systems for quick assessment and treatment. Current trauma care rooms range from 144- to 262-square-feet, while the new rooms are each 400-square-feet. In addition, universal blood products will be stored in the Trauma Center for rapid transfusions when needed.
“The team at Parkland stands ready to provide high quality trauma care for anyone in Dallas County or the region who needs our services,” Dr. Eastman said. “The care we’ve provided has always been second to none. This new facility will elevate the care even higher.”
For more information about the new Parkland Memorial Hospital, please visit www.parklandhospital.com/newparkland.
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