HSHS St. Anthony's Emergency Department Renovation Coming to Close

(GLORIA KRAMER VISITS WITH DR. DAVID SPROWLS, MEDICAL OF HSHS ST. ANTHONY'S MEMORIAL HOSPITAL'S EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, IN ONE OF THE NEW PRIVATE PATIENT ROOMS IN THE NEWLY-RENOVATED DEPARTMENT)

The three-phased renovation of HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department is coming to a close. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) gave approval of the completion of the final phase of the three-phased renovation project, allowing the hospital to occupy that phase.

The IDPH approved the two previous phases as they were completed, which allowed the hospital to keep the Emergency Department open as construction continued. The approval of the third and final phase means that the hospital can now use the entire area of the larger renovated Emergency Department. 

The renovation, which began in January 2018, is designed to increase safety, security and privacy for patients in a more efficient design to enhance the patient experience. The project included an expansion of the department, increasing its square footage from approximately 8,000 square feet to 13,000 square feet, including 17 private rooms with the same number of beds that previously existed.

To increase the safety and security of patients, the updated Emergency Department also added private patient triage and a repositioning of the nurses’ station, allowing staff to have a line-of-sight to each patient treatment area. Additionally, the Security Office has been relocated to the entrance of the Emergency Department to help provide safety oversight for colleagues, physicians and patients.

The new renovation also includes new rooms designed to help keep behavioral health patients safe, fully equipped with special furnishings and equipment. The department now also has two negative pressure rooms for quicker isolation of contagious patients, and has enhanced decontamination capability by adding an additional entrance for contaminated patients. The overall redesign helps improve patient flow and reduces bottlenecks for a more efficient delivery of health care. 

“We listened to the voices of our patients, their family members, colleagues, and medical providers – all involved asked for more privacy, better workflow and increased safety for patients and colleagues,” said Deb Murbarger, director of Emergency Services, Convenient Care and Respiratory Care. “We are excited to have this newer, modern Emergency Department, designed with the patient in mind, while also increasing efficiency and safety. The new renovation benefits both our patients and health care providers alike.”

For more information, check out stanthonyseffingham.org/emergency-department-effingham.

HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital is part of the Southern Illinois Division of Hospital Sisters Health System, which also includes HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese, HSHS Holy Family Hospital in Greenville, and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland.