Thanks to Miss Chapman’s Gift, Inter-Community Hospital Faces Pandemic Head-On
Miss Joyce Chapman named the Inter-Community Hospital Emergency Department renovation in her trust before her passing early last year.
“Miss Chapman did so many great things and gave back to the community where she grew up.”
– Kevin Hua, DO, Director of Emergency Department Operations at Inter-Community Hospital
There are few areas of a hospital that are more critical to patient care than the entrance to the Emergency Department (ED).
Undoubtedly the busiest area of the hospital, the entry to Emanate Health Inter-Community Hospital’s ED welcomes upwards of 115 patients on a normal day. When you take into account the number of nurses, medical staff and support staff on hand to treat patients in the ED, not to mention the paramedics who come and go, it’s clear how fundamental the layout of the Emergency Department is to its functionality.
Thankfully, the renovation of Inter-Community Hospital’s ED has not only increased the capacity to see patients, it has greatly improved upon the patient waiting area — creating a more welcoming environment with better flow for patient triage. Since nearly 80 percent of patients come to the Emergency Department on a walk-in basis, special emphasis was placed on the entrance, including four private rapid treatment rooms that enable staff to quickly assess incoming patients upon arrival.“
The current design flows a lot better,” explained Kevin Hua, DO, Director of Emergency Department Operations at Inter-Community Hospital. “It is a big welcome air relief for patients and the community.” As a result, patient satisfaction scores have risen dramatically since the update and are now in the 70th to 80th percentile, according to Dr. Hua.
This is thanks to the generosity of Miss Joyce Chapman in naming the Inter-Community ED renovation in her trust before her passing early last year. Upon its completion, Emanate Health named the department’s Joyce M. Chapman Lobby in appreciation for her philanthropy.
The effects have been felt by department staff as well as patients. “When the staff got to see the blueprint and all the hard work, they were really happy,” Dr. Hua recalled.
After returning to the updated department, staff were pleased to see the extra space, enhancements to patient privacy, and how patient-friendly it was overall, shared Laurie McCully, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Director of Emergency & Critical Care Services at Inter-Community Hospital.
Having been completed just a few years ago, these improvements couldn’t have come at a better time, enabling staff to acclimate to the new layout before the pandemic began. When the ED was at its busiest, there were triage area canopies set up outside to pre-screen patients for COVID-19 symptoms prior to entry. Once cleared, patients entered the department to be greeted by a triage nurse. “There’s a nurse close by if they have questions, so patients know they haven’t been forgotten,” explained Dr. Hua.
According to Laurie, “We’re happy to be here to take care of the community, and having a bigger department has helped us. The pandemic definitely pushed us to our limits and beyond, but in general it’s so much better.”
“Our staff has done a really good job of adapting, staying engaged, continuing to do their best to ensure everyone receives top care,” relayed Dr. Hua. “Our goal is to ensure we’re keeping our community healthy and well, and making it the facility of choice for our family members.”
To learn more about how to leave a legacy at Emanate Health, visit emanatehealth.org/plannedgiving.
“I’m just really proud of the staff in the emergency department — the nurses, the techs, all of the ancillary team that has kept us going, made it safe for our patients to come here; everyone from EVS to the medical director. It takes everyone to make this happen, and I think we’ve done a great job of pulling together.”
– Laurie McCully, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Director of Emergency & Critical Care Services at Inter-Community Hospital