Member News Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 13, 2007
Governor Signs Bill to Bring Emergency Care to Grayslake
A new state law aimed at bringing much-needed emergency medical services to north and western areas of Lake County was signed today by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
In response to calls for better access to emergency care, state Sen. Susan Garrett and other Lake County officials earlier this year introduced the legislation allowing the Grayslake Outpatient & Acute Care Center to upgrade to a freestanding emergency center.
"A freestanding emergency center will treat a wider range of injuries and provide care to more patients in the northwest part of the county," said Thomas J. McAfee, president and CEO of Lake Forest Hospital, which owns and operates the facility.
Once the upgrades are completed, the facility would operate 24 hours a day with enhanced emergency services and include ambulance bays and a helipad. Treatment capabilities would include a variety of emergency-room injuries, ranging from heart attacks and strokes to minor cuts and bruises.
"These improvements will allow local ambulances to have direct access to the center for appropriate emergency transports and will significantly reduce emergency medical transport times in the region," according to Dr. Margaret Lynch, chairman, Lake Forest Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine, who also is the department’s interim medical director. "The addition of a helipad will enable rapid transport of severely injured patients from the facility to the nearest trauma center or burn unit."
The current site has been home to the Grayslake Outpatient & Acute Care Center, located at 1475 E. Belvidere Road, for three years. The center is currently open 17 hours a day, treats more than 26,000 patients each year and is staffed by Lake Forest Hospital’s board-certified emergency physicians and trauma-trained nurses.
"The emergency center will improve emergency response times in this area to help residents get treatment faster," said Garrett, who sponsored the measure.
Pending approval by the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, the Grayslake Freestanding Emergency Center will be operational in 2008.
Lake Forest Hospital (LFH) has been named the #1 Consumer Choice hospital in Lake and Kenosha counties for 2006/07 by the independent firm National Research Corporation. LFH has earned this honor two years in a row for having the best doctors, best nurses, best image & reputation and best overall quality.
Lake Forest Hospital is a fully licensed and accredited 215-bed community hospital offering a complete range of services that are staffed by 625 physicians, with offices conveniently located throughout Lake County. For information about the hospital, call 847.234.5600; for a physician referral call 847.535.6171.