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Wednesdsay March 7, 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A3 EMERGENCY! By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF New $10 million facility helping OTMH meet needs o f the future Two years in the making, Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital's (OTMH) redesigned, $ 10-million emergency room is now a state-of-the-art facility that's proving to be a hit with staff and patients alike. In addition to the central heart of facility which features a variety of units for every level of emergency, the new ER also pushes the building out and up to include a second floor that offers 10,000 sq. ft. of outpatient care. According to OTMH chief of staff Dr. Lome Martin, the new ER was worth the wait but he admits life was anything but routine during the protracted renovation period. "It was a challenge handling 45,000 people a year through a construction zone for two years," he said. "But everyone was enthusiastic and made it work." As for the public, Martin maintains that they, too, will be impressed. "We have built a facility that will serve the community for many years." One feature is the John Black Resuscitation Room, a three-bed, high-level acute care unit for such cases as cardiac arrests etc., for which the Rotary Club of Oakville donated $100,000. (Martin says community and corporate support for equipment has been wonderful.) A seven-bed resuscitation room handles such cases as heart attacks and respiratory failure while another seven beds are slated for less serious cases, such as abdominal pains. A 12-bed observation unit handles the majority cases requiring very intensive, 12 to 24-hour hospital care, such as for chest pains, kidney stones and asthma attacks. The "fast track area" has been earmarked for the lowest acuity cases, such as sprains. Martin characterized the previous 9,500 sq. ft. ER as a m id-`70's design that was "small, cramped and completely outdated" which suited a low volume of patients who were not very sick. "It was an unsafe environment," said Martin, who explained that today's ER handles many more people who require increasingly complex treatments. The former nursing station, for example, did not have a clear view of all beds and many rooms were isolated - a soli tary situation for patients in need and an impractical one for the medical staff tending to them. After reconstruction, this station - the "hub" of the new 15,500 sq. ft. ER - allows personnel maximum visibility of every patient and although larger than its predecessor, the new ER actually demands less walking. "You get a total sense of what's going on in the depart ment," said Martin. "There's lots of space, great lights, everything you need." Part of the credit must go to the technology at staff's fin gertips which Martin calls "absolutely state-of-the-art." The vital signs of everyone being monitored are tied into central computer screens. Ten fixed monitors are in use now with additional wireless versions scheduled to come on stream. "There's nothing we're wanting for in technology," said Martin. The highlight of the hub is the electronic tracking board which regulates the progress of patients through the ER, the status of their tests like blood-work and x-rays and the tim ing of any "interventions" which need to be administered. (Patient charts are kept is slots next to their individual set of tracking lights.) A light might also flash every 30 minutes, for instance, when a patient suffering chest pains requires checking. The computer which juggles all this information also maintains accurate records of when treatments were dispensed and when doctors were involved. The board also organizes patient acuity based on their assessment upon admittance. · "Waiting times will completely vai\' by how you were originally triaged," said Martin. The tracking board, which requires no knowledge of soft ware, is extremely user-friendly and is popular among nurs es. "The staff loves it. They picked it," said Martin. "I'm real ly pleased about this." The ER entrances and waiting room are also bigger, brighter and more accommodating for patients. There are even video games for the kids. Unlike in the past, when major trauma cases were rushed right through the public area, there is now a dedicated ambulance entrance. Nearby is the decontamination shower for chemicals and radiation and the ER's fracture room. There is also a quiet room where families can meet with doctors, an isolation room, for such infectious diseases as tuberculosis, and a women's health room. A special mental health space, for such cases as uncontrolled aggression, can also be easily converted into a treatment room. The new second floor above ER includes a variety of out patient programs from diabetes education and mental health to Ophthalmology. Despite all the activity taking place, Martin says staff tries to keep a couple of beds open in the event of a big emer gency. One of the hospital's biggest challenges, however, is to relieve inpatient pressures so that ER beds remain open for their intended purpose. The ER does not exist in a vacuum (patients from Hamilton to Toronto are also served by the OTMH ER) so the entire system must work smoothly in order for this to occur. Photo by Peter C. McCusker Dr. Lorne Martin chats with heart patient Jerry Doucette. D r . K r u n o T o v ilo Certified Specialist in Orthodontics for C hildren and Adults P R IV A T E P R A C T IC E O R T H O D O N T IC S r m C O M E S H A K E A FEW PAW S · · · · · · · · · v v w L U A r \ .............................. 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M In te rn a tio n a l Centre · 6 9 0 0 A irp o rt Road ( a t Derry, M is s is s a u g a ) S H O W HOURS: Friday, 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. A D M IS S IO N S : Adults Seniors (6 0 + ) Youths (10-17) Children (5-9) Family Pass(2 adults) 1 $10 $7 $7 $6 $ 30 T O W N C E N T E R O R T H O D O N T IC S 243 N orth S ervice R oad, W est Su ite 301, O ak ville Regretfully, visitors' pets are not perm itted a t the show F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n c a ll: ( 9 0 5 ) 6 7 3 -4 8 7 7 o r w w w .p e ts - s h o w .c o m (9 0 5 ) 8 4 9 -1 7 1 7 Turns out your money is safer in one, too. Based on an independent analysis o f purchase price and accumulated vehicle ownership costs - depreciation, maintenance, repairs, fuel, fees, financing and insurance - the 2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320 has been named: THE INTELLICHOICE® 2001 BEST OVERALL SPORT VALUE OF THE YEAR, INTERMEDIATE UTILITY' 5 __________ M - C L A S S . Vehicles with the same purchase price can have thousands of Now, that best value winner comes at a low-rate, limited-time lease. You may have heard about the M-Class reputation for safety. But if you thought that reputation came at a price, take note: no SUV in its class gives you better value. Especially right now, so don't delay in visiting the Mercedes-Benz dealer listed below. dollars difference in ownership costs, say the independent experts at IntelliChoice. Every year, they calculate the accumulated costs of over 800 cars and trucks. All the V alue P ric e d major costs. And name the vehicle representing the best overall value in its class, M ercedes-Benz The F u ture of th e A u tom ob ile Meray Motors & Collision Ltd. Q.E.W & Dorval Drive, Oakville 905 · 845-6623 www.meraymotors.mercedesbenz.ca Lim ited tim e offer to custom ers approved by M ercedes-B enz C redit of C anada Inc. Figures are based on a 24 m onth closed-end low kilom etre lease on a 2001 M L320 Elegance w ith privacy glass option, w ith an A LR (annual lease rate) of 5.5% and an acquisition cost of $55,210 excluding freigh t and PDI. C ustom er is responsible at lease in ception for a dow n paym ent, cash o r trade equivalent of $9,000. the first m onthly paym ent of $529.00, a refundable security deposit of approxim ately one m onthly lease paym ent, freight and PDI, taxes and registration and license fees. C ustom er agrees to m ake 24 equal paym ents o f $529.00, for a total of $12,696 plus applicable taxes and registration fees. C ustom er is also responsible for insurance, m aintenance and repairs. If custom er decides not to purchase the vehicle at lease end, custom er m ust return vehicle to the dealer and is liable for a kilom etre charge of $0.20/km over 36,000 kilom etres, excess w ear and use. if any. Custom er has the option to buy th e vehicle at lease maturity for $38,094 plus any official fees and taxes. Options are extra. Dealer may lease for less. See Meray Motors for com plete details. *M SRP for 2001 M L320 Classic. tQ v e r $27,000 (U.S.). ©2001 M ercedes-Benz C anada Inc., Toronto, Ont. A Daim lerChrysler Company.