Health Signs - Summer 2012 - (Page 4)

The Future Is Taking Shape at Washington Hospital Plans for new emergency and critical care facilities move forward 1 CENTRAL UTILITY PLANT Completed December 2011 1 CENTER FOR JOINT REPLACEMENT (CJR) Completed May 2012 2 M C — — — — Now that Washington Hospital has completed construction of a new Central Utility Plant and a new Center for Joint Replacement building, the next step in the hospital’s master plan is to upgrade and expand its facilities via the Emergency Room/Critical Care construction project. Plans for the new three-story, 260,000-square-foot Morris Hyman Critical Care Pavilion have been submitted for approval to the state reviewing agencies, and construction is anticipated to begin in 2013. When the current emergency room at Washington Hospital was constructed, the population of the Washington Township Health Care District was only 18,000 people. Today, Washington Hospital serves more than 350,000 residents, and the emergency room is the second busiest in Alameda County—exceeded only by Highland Hospital in Oakland. “Our emergency room always operates at or above capacity,” says Ed Fayen, Washington Hospital’s associate administrator of System Operations and Management Support Services. “Last year, we had more than 50,000 emergency room visits. An expanded emergency department is clearly a critical need, and that’s why it is an essential component of our master plan, which is designed to meet the current and future needs of N Summer 2012 Carmen Agcaoili, m.D., medical director of the Intensivist Program and co-medical director of the Intensive Care unit (ICu) at Washington Hospital, says the expansions of the Critical Care unit and the ICu will enhance Washington Hospital’s ability to provide the best possible care for those patients who are most at risk. THROUGHOUT CONSTRUCTION— Complete seismic upgrades for earthquake safety Continued addition of advanced medical technology 1 Recently Completed CENTER FOR JOINT REPLACEMENT. Constructed a new Center for Joint Replacement (CJR). The new CJ is a state-of-the-art facility with joint replacement ca integrated into every aspect of the building’s design This program is a national leader, completing over 1,000 joint replacements annually. CENTRAL UTILITY PLANT. Reconstructed and expa the Hospital’s power plant, ensuring energy-efﬁcient cost-efﬁcient energy systems to operate a state-of-th hospital protected from outside power outages. our community. The new emergency room will be approximately four times its current size.” Fayen notes that the expanded and upgraded emergency room will also position Washington Hospital to apply to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for designation as a trauma center. Currently, the closest trauma center to the TriCity area is Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. Enhancing Care, Increasing Efficiency The other components of the new building— expansions of the Critical Care Unit (CCU) and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)—will also enhance Washington Hospital’s ability to provide the best possible care for those patients who are most at risk. “Our current CCU has eight private rooms, while the ICU has two private rooms and 10 additional beds,” says Carmen Agcaoili, M.D., medical director of the Intensivist Program and co-medical director of the ICU. “We also have eight beds in private rooms upstairs in an ICUoverflow unit. “Despite our current limited capacity, patients who require critical care services are rarely turned away,” she adds. “The new facility will expand the CCU/ICU capacity to 48 beds, all in private rooms and all on the same floor. MO WR U VEN YA E The Center for Joint replacement building opened in may 2012. The new CJr building is a state-ofthe-art facility with joint replacement care integrated into every aspect of the design. 4

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Health Signs - Summer 2012

Health Signs - Summer 2012
High-tech care: WHHS is on the cutting-edge when it comes to technology
Learn what the future holds for Washington Hospital Healthcare System
Pediatricians at WHHS are working to give kids a healthy start in life
Find out how to tell if it’s heartburn or something more serious

Health Signs - Summer 2012