Augusta Health cuts ribbon on emergency department expansion

Augusta Health celebrated the completion of the expansion of its Emergency Department with a community Open House and Ribbon Cutting on Saturday, July 21.  Participants in the ribbon cutting were selected from the Emergency Department staff because of their service and tenure in the department.

Ground was broken for the expansion on April 26, 2017 and the last beam was placed during the Topping Out Ceremony on November 16, 2017.  After an additional week of training for staff, the new entrance will open for patients on August 2, 2018 at 7 am.

The current Emergency Department at Augusta Health opened in 1994 and was built to serve 35,000 patients a year.  In recent years, volumes have exceeded 60,000 visits per year.  The original rooms, designed for equipment and technology of the 1990s, have become cramped as advanced technology has been added.   Department needs have also changed as patients have increased acuity and need more complex care for cardiac and stroke, trauma and behavioral health and substance abuse.

After the expansion opens, the current Emergency Department will be renovated in phases over several months.  When the project is complete, the combined area will be nearly double the size of the current Emergency Department.  The rooms are larger, and many have dedicated purpose. The new entrance has a covered canopy and valet parking service.  These improvements are not just aesthetically pleasing; they improve staff efficiency, patient and family privacy and coordination of care for the patients.

To provide support for the construction and renovation of the Emergency Department, the Augusta Health Foundation’s Moments Matter Campaign was launched in March 2017.  Jim Perkins of Waynesboro has served as the Campaign Chair. The fundraising effort by has been well received by the community with major gifts totaling more than $1.8 million.  The Augusta Health Board of Directors, Foundation Board of Directors and Executive Leadership have 100% participation. In addition, physicians, employees, community leaders, foundations, residents and local businesses have financially supported this critical community health project.

Recently Sodexo, Augusta Health’s food service partner, provided a generous $100,000 challenge grant to encourage others in the community to support the ED Expansion and meet the $2 million Campaign goal. To date, more than $58,000 has been raised to secure the match. The Public Phase of the Campaign will begin in fall 2018.  Those interested in making a gift to support the Moments Matter Campaign for the Emergency Department Expansion can call the Foundation Office at 540-332-5174, text “moments” to 41444 and make a gift right from a cellphone, or visit the website, www.augustahealth.com/foundation/make-a-gift.

Augusta Health is an independent, community-owned, not-for-profit hospital whose mission is to promote the health and well-being of the community through access to excellent care.  Named one of the 100 Top Hospitals in America by Thomson Reuters in both 2011 and 2012, Augusta Health has also been nationally recognized by Healthgrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for clinical excellence and patient safety for four consecutive years.  For more information about Augusta Health, its programs or its services, please visit the website, www.augustahealth.com.