With trauma patients just a few minutes delay in treatment can make the difference between life and death. However South Chicago has been without a trauma center since 1991. This means trauma patients have to be transported nearly 10 miles away to receive the specialized services they need. The $270 million makeover happening at the University of Chicago's Hyde Park campus seeks to resolve that issue. The new $39 million adult emergency department that opened at U Chicago Medicine in December will become an integrated trauma care facility within the next few months.
(Image courtesy of communications at UChicago Medicine)
The new ER is located adjacent to U Chicago Medicine’s Center for Care and Discovery, which allows for quick access to operating rooms and intensive care units. The new facility was needed to alleviate overcrowded conditions. The old ER was one of the busiest in the city treating more than 57,000 patients a year.
By 2021,the new emergency department is projected to treat an additional 25,000 patients a year. More than 2,000 adult trauma patients are expected in the first full year of trauma center designation. The larger and more modern emergency department cared for about 200 patients in its first 24 hours of being open.
Despite the increased patient load, two major features in the newly designed emergency department are expected to cut the average length of stay from about 7 hours to 4 1/2. One is Rapid Assessment Units. The other is 24 hours a day, dedicated radiology services so patients don't have to wait in line with those in other departments.
• 3 rapid assessment bays, where patients will get an initial screening from a physician who then routes them either to one of 16 rooms for quick treatment and discharge, or to one of 26 specialty rooms for more intense care and potential admission to the hospital
• Spaces specifically for patients who are obese, need to be quarantined, have been sexually assaulted or have a mental health issue
• 4 resuscitation bays to treat stroke and heart attack patients, and starting in May trauma patients
• 1 CT scanner that produces four times more images than existing machines and two state-of-the-art x-ray machines.
The $270 million redevelopment project will call for Mitchell Hospital to become a dedicated cancer-care facility. It also allows U Chicago Medicine to add 188 inpatient hospital beds. In recent years, the medical center has been operating near or at capacity. Completion of the project is expected by early 2022.
About University of Chicago Medicine:
U Chicago Medicine encompasses the Medical Center, Pritzker School of Medicine and the Biological Sciences Division. It’s major medical facilities include The Center for Care and Discovery, the Bernard A. Mitchell Hospital, the Comer Children's Hospital as well as several medical buildings located throughout the area. These facilities have 811 licensed beds, 9,000 employees, 843 attending physicians, along with 1,1298 residents and fellows. It has an annual operating revenue of $1.6 billion. It receives $128 million of the $168 million in National Institute Health funding the university receives an average each year.
In 2016, the University of Chicago spent $270,358,000 on Life Science Research ad Development.
All the expansion happening at UChigago Medicine means an increased need for medical lab supplies. Vendors looking to increase their laboratory product sales should plan on attending the 4th Annual BioResearch Product Faire™ Event in at the University of Chicago on Friday, September 21, 2018.
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At this event, lab suppliers are able to demonstrate new lab products and technologies to end-users and purchasers. Last year's event attracted 198 attendees. These attendees came from 20 different research buildings and 25 on-campus departments. They included 56 professors, post docs and purchasing agents and 27 lab managers.
To learn more about participating in the BioResearch Product Faire™ Event in Chicago, call (530) 272-6675 or visit the link below:
Science professionals attend for free. For more information and to save time in line by preregistering, click the link below:
While in the area, check out the Bioresearch Product FaireTM at University of Illinois on September 20, 20018.