4,000 Square Feet Added to ED; Represents Largest Investment in Dover Facility in a Decade

Meeting the increased need for emergency care in the Dover area, while providing enhanced capabilities in the event of a biochemical emergency, Saint Clare’s Health System celebrated the opening of the newly renovated and expanded Emergency Department at Saint Clare’s Hospital/Dover on Monday, May 8. Festivities attracted a large number of employees, patients, visitors, neighbors and friends.

Speakers included Gary J. Blan, FACHE, Saint Clare’s President and CEO; Jeffrey Snyder, FACHE, Chief Administrative Officer of Saint Clare’s Hospital/Dover; Dr. Vasilios Diamantopoulos, Director of Emergency Services for Saint Clare’s Hospital/Dover; Dr. Augustus Baker, former President of the Dover General Medical Staff and Chairman of the Department of Surgery. Sister Catherine Marie Belongia, SSM, Saint Clare’s Vice President of Sponsorship & Mission, will offer a blessing.

A secondary event, which took place that evening, was geared especially for area ambulance squads, paramedics, first responders and other emergency personnel.
“The $4.5 million renovation and expansion to the Dover Emergency Department represents the first major investment in that campus in nearly a decade,” says Blan. “This project, coupled with the reintroduction of acute care to the Dover community in June 2004, represents our continued commitment to serve the people of Dover and surrounding communities, not just in emergency care, but with nearly all of their healthcare needs. This modern facility has been designed to meet the needs of a growing population with the highest levels of care and technology, while also addressing the specialized emergency needs of a post September 11th world.”

The ED renovation has expanded the current patient-care area by 4,000 square feet, and has increased the number of rooms from 14 to 28. The expanded facility is now equipped with a new expanded registration and waiting area, both enhanced to offer high levels of comfort and privacy for patients and their family. The facility has an expanded triage room and fast track area to prioritize care in time of high patient traffic and decrease wait times for those patients with more minor injuries and illness. New cardiac and trauma treatment rooms, along with a dedicated pediatric treatment area, have been created to provide for specialized emergency care.

The project includes upgraded and improved “entry points” from outside parking areas, as well as a by-pass corridor linking the new Emergency Department with the hospital lobby. To address the potential of a chemical or biological emergency, a decontamination area has been created for those who have been exposed to chemicals or other potentially hazardous materials. Specialized equipment has been installed to decontaminate patients, emergency workers and equipment that have been exposed to hazardous materials and collect the contaminated material for safe and proper disposal.

Snyder explains that the renovation and expansion responds to continued growth of the community and a consistent rise in emergency visits. “We are in one of the fastest growing areas in the state, and the use of our Emergency Department jumps by three to five percent every year,” he said. “In addition to this consistent increase in demand, this enhancement to emergency care is in response to the community’s desire for a modern emergency facility in the neighborhood in which they live. They asked…we delivered.”

The expanded and renovated ED joins a host of other new and expanded services offered at Saint Clare’s Hospital/Dover. In addition to a variety of acute care, long-term care, and ancillary service offerings, Dover is now home to the Center for Weight Loss Surgery, the Center for Wound Healing, the Women’s Health Center, the Center for Sleep Medicine, and the community clinics at the Sister Catherine Health Center.

The renovation and expansion of the Emergency Department is the latest capital improvement in a series of facility construction and renovation projects that will transform Saint Clare’s Health System over the next several years. The first project, The Katena Center for Mother and Child at Saint Clare’s Hospital/Denville, which celebrated its first anniversary on May 6, is the most advanced maternal/child care center in the region. These capital improvements have been supported, in part, by public and private donations. Those interested in making donations to Saint Clare’s, can contact Saint Clare’s Foundation at 973-983-5300.

Back