Member News Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 3, 2005
Silver Cross Emergency Department Receives Level II Trauma Re-Designation
Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet has been re-designated as a Level II Trauma Center for Emergency Medical Services through August 2007 by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Deemed as one of the 100 Top hospitals in the nation by Solucient, Silver Cross has provided the residents of the southwest suburbs with Level II Trauma services since 1988, and also serves as the resource hospital for the Will-Grundy Emergency Medical System, training paramedics from 30 towns for over 30 years.
As an emergency department (ED) designated as a Level II Trauma Center, Silver Cross is staffed 24 hours a day with a team of highly skilled physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and support staff specially trained in the emergency treatment of adults, children and infants. Silver Cross is also recognized as an ED approved for pediatrics and has in-house pediatricians 24 hours a day from Children’s Memorial in Chicago to consult when necessary.
In addition to caring for life-threatening emergencies, Silver Cross treats minor illnesses and injuries, such as sprains, cuts and lacerations, possible fractures, minor burns, wounds and the flu through a special “Fast Track” service with little or no wait. In the last year, Silver Cross reengineered and improved several processes so that patients now see an emergency physician or nurse practitioner usually within 30 minutes of arrival instead of having to endure a wait that can seem like forever.
“We’ve even noticed that patients will drive an extra 10 minutes to Silver Cross just so that they don’t have to wait an extra two hours in what may be a closer emergency department,” says Pawlak. “This can mean a world of difference, especially when you or a loved one is in pain.”
In the ED, Silver Cross currently care for 45,000 patients a year in a space originally built in 1990 to accommodate 25,000. The hospital is currently expanding the ED to 46,000 sq. ft-over double its current size. When completed in December 2006, the new emergency department will have 26 glass-enclosed private treatment bays and 6 observation beds, two more high-tech trauma rooms, a dedicated CT scanner, a second X-ray facility and another family consulting area. A separate waiting area is also being added for families and children, with amenities like video games, TVs with VCR/DVDs and a salt-water aquarium. In addition, an Internet Café will be close-by to help alleviate any disruptions a visit to the ED may cause.
“Our ED expansion project is just one of the many ways that we continue to build a better Silver Cross Experience for our patients, visitors, and the community,” says Pawlak.
For more information or to take a virtual tour of Silver Cross Hospital’s new emergency department, visit http://www.silvercross.org.