WINNSBORO – The public will get their first peek inside the new Providence Health-Fairfield Emergency Room next week – Thursday, Nov, 13, from 4 to 6 p.m. – when officials hold an open house with a ribbon cutting and tours of the new facility.
Located at 1810 US Hwy 321 S, across the street from the Winnsboro Bi-Lo, the state-of-the-art Emergency Room will open for business later this month.
Officials with Providence stated that the new facility will provide Fairfield County with quick and easy access to round-the-clock, high-quality emergency care.
The County contracted with Providence to construct and operate the facility after plans were initiated to close Fairfield Memorial Hospital earlier this year. Closing date for the hospital is Dec. 18.
“This facility was designed to include everything that we need to provide efficient and safe emergency care,” Providence Health-Northeast CEO said.
The building includes four treatment rooms with two pre-constructed additional exam rooms for future expansion. It also includes two trauma rooms and an onsite full service laboratory for the fast return of blood work results.
The facility also has a top-of-the-line CT scan, an ultrasound and x-ray technology to facilitate quick access to the diagnostic information needed for emergency care.
The structure is laid out in a horseshoe shape so patients can feel the progress of their visit as they move through the facility, White pointed out. In the center of the horseshoe is a large, open nursing station keeping the staff in close range to all parts of the patient journey.
“We gave careful consideration to patient comfort such as the use of natural light and high ceilings,” White said. “We wanted to provide a healing environment for our patients, families, and staff.
“The ambulance entry for the facility leads directly to the nurses’ station so that care can be delivered as quickly as possible for the most emergent cases,” White said. “Directly next to the ambulance entrance are two large trauma bays that will provide ample space and supplies to ensure that staff has, at their fingertips, whatever tool is needed to provide the complex care required for more serious cases.”
White said the trauma rooms in the new facility are some of the nicest ones she’s seen in her experience with emergency care.
“The facility itself is somewhat of a futuristic layout in terms of how we can best meet the emergency needs of the community,” White added.
The structure also includes 6,000 square feet of shell space to achieve future needs as they are determined.
White said the emergency room’s location, easily accessible near the intersection of Highways 321 and 34, is key to providing quality care to the community.
“The facility’s close proximity to the Providence Health-Northeast community hospital provides the added benefit of fast-track access for patients who need to be transferred for more advanced care,” White added.
