An expanded Emergency Department at St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago opened to patients July 21st.
Local dignitaries and Powers Health leadership participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the first phase.
“With more room and design efficiencies, this project will lead to a better experience for our patients and will offer a supportive workplace for our healthcare providers,” said Leo Correa, CEO of St. Catherine Hospital.
The multiphase project is expected to be finished in the fall. When complete, the expansion will provide nearly 2,000 additional square feet and will accommodate the growing need for emergency care.
Beyond the welcoming new entry is a spacious waiting area featuring 9-foot-tall windows that allow natural light to flow in. The expansion includes a Fast Track waiting area, Fast Track nurses station and three private Fast Track rooms with sliding glass doors for privacy. Fast Track expedites care for people with less severe injuries or illnesses and reduces wait time.
When all phases are complete, the Emergency Department will have 17 patient exam rooms and five additional rooms with a direct view of patients with behavioral health concerns. Those with emergency behavioral health needs also will have an exclusive waiting area.
“Since we opened our doors nearly a century ago, St. Catherine Hospital has grown in physical size and in the range of services we offer,” Correa said. “With each brick we add, we continue to cement our reputation in East Chicago as a place where the most vulnerable are treated with dignity and respect.”
Each year, St. Catherine Hospital sees more than 30,000 patients in its Emergency Department.
“We are woven into the fiber of this community and accessible to all who need us,” Correa said. “Powers Health continues to invest in St. Catherine Hospital as we carry out our mission to deliver high-quality, cost-effective, efficient care.”
For information about care at Powers Health, visit www.PowersHealth.org.
Celebrating the expansion of St. Catherine Hospital Emergency Department are Dillon Barron, MD, Medical Director of St. Catherine Hospital Emergency Department; Samantha Hall, Nurse Manager of St. Catherine Hospital Emergency Department; Julie Latta, Chief Financial Officer/Vice President of Finance; Leo Correa, Chief Executive Officer of St. Catherine Hospital; Edward Williams, President of St. Catherine Hospital Board of Directors; Nina Stur, Chief Nursing Officer/Vice President of Patient Care Services of St. Catherine Hospital; Donald P. Fesko, President and Chief Executive Officer of Powers Health; and Alan Kumar, MD, Chief Operating Officer of Powers Health.