August 3, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Emergency care at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is expanding with this weekend’s opening of the new Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department. Beginning today at midnight, emergency physicians and nurses started treating patients in the new section of the department, located on the east side of Ohio State’s new James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute at 460 W. 10th Ave. It’s the first portion of the newly constructed hospital to open to patients.
The former emergency department (ED), which housed 50 beds, will be renovated. Once construction is complete in March 2015, the total emergency department project will more than double Ohio State’s capacity to provide emergency care.
“Moving into this new space allows us to treat around 70 patients at once,” said Dr. Tom Terndrup, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. “I say ‘around’ because the space gives us enormous flexibility in how and where we see patients. This spring that number will jump again to more than 100 patients at a time.”
The ED offers several new services for central Ohio residents. It includes the nation’s first integrated cancer ED, where those who have cancer and urgent medical needs can be seen by emergency physicians and nurses with additional training in oncology.
“It allows us to isolate patients who may have compromised immune systems away from others who could be contagious. It’s tough to tell cancer patients to avoid sick people when they have to come to the hospital, so this is how we can help,” Terndrup said.
The new ED is using a ‘no wait’ approach to evaluate and treat patients. When patients arrive, a nurse is part of the check-in process to help begin assessments right away. A physician is assigned in the arrival zone to quickly evaluate and treat patients as well as begin tests and medications.
“We treat the more minor injuries in the front evaluation rooms. That gets someone on their way home quicker and it allows us to use beds for more serious conditions,” said Dr. Eric Adkins, medical director of the Emergency Department. “We strive to give our patients what they want and deserve, which is the right amount of quality medical treatment in a timely manner.”
Adkins also said the newly designed ED will help improve care efficiency with the addition of four X-ray and CAT scan rooms and dedicated radiology physicians in the department. The ED will also have dedicated respiratory specialists and pharmacists. Nine critical care rooms, including three resuscitation bays and six acute care rooms, will help accommodate high volumes of critically ill and injured patients in collaboration with programs such as trauma, burn, sepsis, heart attack and stroke.
There is also a dedicated room for eye injuries, space for geriatric patients and improved facilities for those in mental health crisis. Multi-disciplinary care teams are grouped into pods to make caring for patients more efficient in a space that, come March 2015, will be approximately 44,000 square feet and about the length of two football fields.
Ohio State’s ED was renamed to honor the more than $10 million donated by Abercrombie & Fitch to the Medical Center over a ten year span. The company has also funded the Abercrombie & Fitch Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
“We are grateful to Abercrombie & Fitch for their generous contributions to the Wexner Medical Center throughout the years, which will allow the Emergency Department to provide state-of-the-art services and treatment to our patients,” said Dr. Steven G. Gabbe, CEO of Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and senior vice president of Health Sciences at Ohio State.
Last year, Ohio State’s emergency department had 130,000 combined patient visits at University Hospital East and the Medical Center.
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