ER remodeling at MCO doubles treatment space

2/7/2002

Remodeling in the emergency department at Medical College of Ohio Hospitals has been completed, and MCO officials say the work doubled the space of the department and should ease crowding.

MCO will dedicate its expanded emergency department today during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The expansion cost $5.3 million.

The new emergency department takes up about 13,000 square feet. The department should be able to handle 36,000 patients annually, compared to 24,000 a year previously.

Features include treatment rooms separated by doors rather than curtains, two trauma rooms that allow treatment of four patients simultaneously, a “fast-track” area for the treatment of minor injuries, and a larger patient waiting area. The improvement to the emergency department is the first major addition to MCO's main hospital since it opened in 1979.