NEWPORT — Newport Hospital broke ground on a $12.5 million emergency department expansion this morning to better meet the area’s growing medical service needs, marking the public launch of the hospital’s Beyond the Building fundraising campaign.
The groundbreaking also celebrated a $3 million gift from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation and a $1.5 million challenge grant from the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust. As of June 19, the Beyond the Building campaign for Newport Hospital has raised $10 million toward its goal of $15 million.
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“It’s time that the expertise and compassion our caregivers provide are complemented by a healing environment that is spacious, modern and comfortable for patients and families,” said Crista Durand, president of Newport Hospital. “We are thrilled that the van Beuren Charitable Foundation and The Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust are so committed to helping Newport Hospital provide the very best in care when our patients need us the most.”
Newport Hospital’s emergency department, last updated 20 years ago, was designed to treat 24,000 patients a year. In recent years, they’ve treated about 30,000, the hospital reports on the Beyond the Building campaign webpage. Patient volume is particularly high during summer months when the facility’s capacity is put to its limit. The island’s aging population and significant growth in tourism during the summer – a time when ED patient volume swells by 40 percent – are driving the heightened demand on the facility, according to a statement from the hospital.
The hospital has recently reduced wait times by 70 percent, with the median door-to-provider time at 20 minutes. But the building shows noticeable signs that it was built for less hectic days.
Patients are occasionally triaged in temporary space in a former waiting room and sometimes they’re treated in the hallways, which isn’t conducive to patient privacy.
“Strain on health care access – seasonal or not – is not sustainable. Newport Hospital is committed to providing exceptional care in a timely manner year-round,” said Durand, president of Newport Hospital. She added that the renovated emergency department will factor in future growth, and could accommodate as many as 40,000-plus visits annually.
The construction will nearly double the number of treatment and exam rooms, to keep wait times low, improve patient privacy and advance the emergency department’s best practice models. Treatment rooms will increase from 17 to 29 and include a new behavioral health section and a four-bed observation unit.
The expansion will include a four-bed behavioral health unit, providing patients more privacy and dignity. Visits by patients with addiction and/or mental health issues have increased by 17 percent during the last three years and now represent eight percent of all emergency room visits.
A “clinical decision unit” will also be added and is considered a national best practice. These four rooms will be for patients who need extended emergency department treatment and observation but may not require admission as an inpatient, lowering the total cost of care.
Other highlights of the project include:
- Three triage spaces for arriving patients, compared to one.
- A lounge and waiting area for patients waiting for tests and their family members.
- Dedicated workstations in each treatment space to facilitate bedside registration and documentation, and ultimately reduce wait time.
- Space that is geriatric and pediatric friendly
The existing emergency department will remain operational throughout the construction, which is expected to begin in July and be completed by September 2019.
Hope H. van Beuren, founder and chair emerita of her family foundation, said, “Our mission is to invest in the quality of life and quality of place of Aquidneck Island and surrounding communities. The hospital is most important for the betterment of the community and the Foundation recognizes that the Emergency Department must be expanded to address Aquidneck Island’s growing health care needs.”
“We hope our challenge grant will engage community members in a campaign that truly is near and dear to everyone on the island.” The Trust will match every donation to the project up to $1.5 million in total,” said Donald Christ, chair of The Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
