Sutter Lakeside expands to meet the growing needs of the community
Sutter Lakeside Hospital nearly doubled in size July 2002 with the opening of a brand new hospital wing.
Top of the line Emergency Care Facility
The new, high-tech Emergency Department occupies nearly half of the wing and is almost five times larger than old ER. The number of treatment rooms increased from seven to 12, and additional staff was added to care for the nearly 1,800 patients seen in the ER every month.
"The new ER is the type of modern facility you'd expect to find in large urban cities," said Emergency Room Director John Gorbenko, R.N. "We have all brand new state-of-the-art equipment, private treatment rooms, an urgent care clinic and special trauma rooms. We also have the only licensed helicopter landing pad in the area. Now that we have more space and staff, we are able to considerably reduce patient waiting time and provide better, faster service," stated Gorbenko.
"The design and layout of the new ER is very tranquil and conducive to healing," added Gorbenko. Beautiful gardens and landscaping are visible from the ER waiting room, and the entire environment is much quieter. Patients and their families have much more privacy, which helps reduce stress and anxiety.
State-of-the-art Surgery Pavillion
At 15,103 square feet, the new Surgery Department is nearly three times larger than the old surgical area and has twice as many operating rooms. One of the operating rooms is specially designed to handle trauma cases, as well as the large number of orthopedic surgeries performed at the hospital every year.
The number of private rooms in the preoperative area doubled, and the post-surgical recovery area can accommodate almost three times as many patients as before. A private room is available for patients who need to be isolated after surgery.
"We can see three times as many patients as we did before , which means surgeries get scheduled much more quickly," said Chief of Surgery Frederick Johnson, M.D. "We also have the latest, high-tech equipment, including laparoscopes used for minimally invasive surgeries. We're hiring additional surgeons and anesthesiologists, too," added Johnson. "Eventually, we would like to be able to perform spine and heart surgery as part of our comprehensive line of services," Johnson added. "Our goal is to offer our patients and the community the best medicine has to offer."
Radiology is undergoing major renovations as well. When complete, the department will double in size and be equipped with more and newer diagnostic equipment.
The improvements will help surgeons and other physicians better detect and diagnose health problems, which ultimately leads to earlier and more effective interventions, and better outcomes for patients.
