Baptist Hospital starts $1.9 million Emergency Department Construction

PENSACOLA, FL (Jan. 3, 2012) – Baptist Hospital, the flagship facility for Baptist Health Care, has initiated a $1,897,000 construction project for its Emergency Department that will allow the department to care for more patients while reducing wait times.

The Baptist Hospital Emergency Department construction project includes four phases and when complete the new department will feature 41 patient rooms. The main emergency department will have 29 fully functional, monitored rooms, including two trauma resuscitation rooms, plus one imaging room; six rooms dedicated for heart and vascular; and six rooms dedicated for behavioral medicine.

The new design focuses on efficiency. Centralized workstations for physicians and staff will improve productivity, staff morale and patient satisfaction. New triage areas will also support helping patients more quickly receive the medical care they need. In addition, the new design will offer aesthetic improvements for patients and families.

“While Baptist Hospital has been undergoing campus wide construction over the past 18 months, the Emergency Department renovations are very exciting,” states David Wildebrandt, Administrator, Baptist Hospital. “For many patients, this is their first impression of our hospital and we want it to be a great one.”

The Baptist Hospital Emergency Department cares for an average of 60,000 patients each year and has achieved outstanding recognition for heart attack care, stroke care and trauma care. Emergency Department construction began June 2011 and is expected to be complete by April 2012. The Baptist Hospital campus-wide construction began in July 2010 and is expected for completion in early 2012.