Here’s the details:

In April of this year, Highline Medical Center opened a new state-of-the-art ER right in the heart of the B-Town. Thousands of people visited during its grand opening celebration –– and thousands more have been there since to receive care. The response from the B-Town community to the new facility has been a resounding “Thumbs Up!”

Equipment in the two large trauma rooms is overhead, putting everything close at hand in a major emergency

In fact, in June of 2010, Highline ranked in the top 1% for patient satisfaction when compared to nearly 500 hospitals nationwide!

Highline’s new ER is three times larger than its old one and packed with sophisticated technology, from electronic medical records to a high-speed, 64-slice CT system. It’s also designed to make a trip to the ER quicker and a lot more comfortable. For instance, registration is handled at the bedside, allowing patients to be taken directly to their own private treatment room. Doctors use hand-held wireless “tablet” computers or workstations on wheels (WOWs), enabling them to view a patient’s medical record right at the bedside and instantly receive lab results and imaging reports. And every one of the 32 private rooms is equipped to handle any emergency.

Every treatment room has a computer, putting vital information at the bedside

The good news is that you don’t have to be sick or injured to get a good look at B-Town’s new ER. Just click here to see a behind-the-scenes video tour with Grant Goodeve from Northwest Backroads. You’ll not only get to check out the advanced technology and beautiful facilities, you’ll meet the dedicated people who have made Highline’s ER tops in the nation for patient satisfaction.

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Some 550 students from Normandy Park’s Marvista Elementary School recently donated $700 to Highline Medical Center’s new Emergency Room and Patient Care Unit, along with $300 to the Union Gospel Mission.

Now that may not seem like much of a big deal, until you realize that it was all collected through a penny drive that began back in September – that’s right, these kids collected thirty 25-pound bags of pennies from fellow students, neighbors, friends and families.

This was done by the “Totally Awesome Penny People” (T.A.P.P.) which involved kids from throughout the entire school. Pennies were collected, then students decided which worthy causes should receive the donation. A group of 5th and 6th grade students narrowed down the decision and made the final choices, then on May 17th at an all-school assembly, students presented a $300 check to Union Gospel Mission and a $700 check to Highline Medical Center.

Accepting the $700 check was HMC CEO Mark Benedum, whose own sons are Marvista Elementary School alumni, and ER physician Dr. Kimberly Yeargin.

In thanking the children for their tremendous effort, CEO Benedum said:

“We treat approximately 50,000 people in our ER each year, and even if each one of them donated a penny, that still would be less than the total number of pennies collected by all of you. Congratulations!”

An emergency room is one place no one (unless they work there) really wants to go. But on Saturday (April 10), a large crowd of visitors came for an inside look at Highline Medical Center’s new state-of-the-art Emergency Department.

Judging from their reactions, they liked what they saw. It is an impressive facility in every way.

The new Emergency Department opens its doors to patients at 6 a.m. Tuesday, April 13. Those patients already undergoing treatment in the old emergency room will finish being cared for there, but by mid-morning it should be closed.

While it still won’t ease the extreme pain of kidney stones or broken bones, or the acute discomfort of pneumonia or appendicitis, this facility is designed to make patients a lot more comfortable while they have to be there.

The first thing that caught my attention upon walking into the Emergency Department during Saturday’s grand opening was the small number of chairs in the bright and airy admitting area – far fewer than in the old waiting area.

With three triage rooms – compared to just one in the old emergency room – more patients can be assessed at the same time. Fewer patients, with their family members or friends, will have to wait up front before they are seen initially.

They will then go to one of 32 private examination rooms, each “hardwired” with state-of-the-art technology to handle any emergency. The admission process can be completed in the exam rooms, which also adds to their comfort as well as privacy. All orders, tests and procedures will be charted electronically.

Another impressive aspect of the new Emergency Department, especially for anyone who has spent time in the old one, is not one but two adjacent main nursing stations. Including an enclosed physician’s room for charting and consultation, they look almost as big as the existing emergency facility.

With 27,000 square feet, it is three times the size of the old treatment area, which has just 19 examination rooms – including a number of beds that are not private – and will significantly improve the work environment for physicians, nurses, imaging and laboratory technicians, and everyone else who works and volunteers there.

A third nursing station will support treatment of less-serious emergencies. The three stations not only create a roomier work area for nurses but also make possible more efficient patient monitoring.

Patients with severe chest pain, symptoms of stroke, or other serious conditions who arrive by ambulance will be taken to the two highly equipped, adjoining trauma rooms – just inside an ambulance bay with room for nine emergency vehicles – with moveable high-tech equipment overhead.

Although not “inviting,” it was nevertheless reassuring for Highline-area residents to the degree of high-level care that is available only minutes from their homes or work.

One of the busiest medical staff members during the open house was radiologist David Henley, M.D., who explained to visitors the high-speed, high-resolution, state-of-the-art CT scanner that takes 64 image slices at one time, giving radiologists and emergency physicians three-dimensional views of the body for more precise diagnoses.

Both the facility’s CT and x-ray suites are dedicated for emergency patients – and have a separate diagnostic imaging waiting room are located just beyond the triage rooms.

Highline Medical Center treats about 50,000 emergency patients annually, making this one of the busiest emergency departments in the area.

Photographer Michael Brunk dropped by Saturday’s opening and took these photos:

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s SoundSlideshow

by Ralph Nichols

Burien building inspectors have granted temporary occupancy approval to Highline Medical Center’s new three-story Emergency Department and Patient Care Unit – leaving only one more permitting step before the $60 million addition can start receiving patients.

City Manager Mike Martin noted in his report for tonight’s (Monday, Feb. 22) council meeting:

“Temporary occupancy allows hospital personnel to enter the new facility for the purpose of setting up equipment, bringing in furniture and providing staff training while the contractors continue to complete final items needed to obtain a certificate of occupancy.

“All additional work needed to obtain final occupancy is expected to be completed by March 17,” Martin added. He said review and inspections have “involved hundreds of hours of staff time.”

The 79,607 square foot addition, which includes a parking garage for primary use by the Emergency Department, is scheduled to open to patients on April 13. The grand opening of the Emergency Department will be April 9-10 and will include a public open house.

Emergency staff will begin training in the new facility once the final occupancy permit is granted by the city.

With 27,000 square feet of floor space, the new Emergency Department triples the size of the existing 50-year-old emergency facility. The new department includes three triage rooms, 32 private examination rooms, two trauma bays, and its own diagnostic imaging area.

Community members and local business owners stepped up to raise $1,675 for the completion of Highline Medical Center’s new ER at the “Red Wine & Decadent Dessert” event Wednesday night, Feb. 10th.

This event was the brainchild of local business owners from Mark Restaurant, BTB Advertiser E.B Foote Winery and OptiMark Eye Care. This event allowed attendees to sample some of the great things our community has to offer as well as enjoy an evening among friends.

“We are glad to see such a great turn out, especially in this economy.” said Renee Klein, Executive Director, Highline Medical Center Foundation. “There is really something to be said about the energy in this room and seeing people enjoying themselves. This event speaks to the character and uniqueness of our community to see people come together, showing that this community is truly unlike any other.”

Amongst the warm candlelit setting of the Mark Restaurant, the evening highlighted a raffle drawing for a table full of generous community items including everything from baskets of gardening supplies, a romantic valentine inspired package and art work and more. Guests also were treated to a number of wines from the E.B. Foote Winery and a plate of indulgent sweet treats brought by Mark Restaurant and OptiMark Eye Care.

Originally built to serve 12,000 patients per year, Highline’s Main Campus ER now serves nearly 47,000 –– making it one of the busiest in the state. According to their website:

When a health emergency strikes, you need advanced care. And you need it fast, which is why a new ER is so critical. While we have made significant investments in expert staff and advanced technology over the years, there are simply too few treatment rooms for the number of patients. Ambulances are sometimes diverted to other hospitals farther away, because we simply don’t have enough capacity, according to www. lifedependsonit.org.

“…Highline Medical Center receives no tax support, i.e., we are not publicly funded. Yet, we are a not-for-profit hospital. The new Emergency Room and Patient Care Unit is a $60 million project, most of which is funded through bonds and reserves. But a $10 million capital campaign is needed to help complete the funding. The community has responded, and to date we have raised $5.4 million. But we still need more to reach our goal, and are so thankful for those individuals and businesses who have stepped up!” – Renee Klein

“We are truly grateful for the Mark Restaurant, OptiMark and EB Foote Winery. This was truly all their idea,” added Klein.

In addition to the three businesses that planned the event, many others donated time, products and/or gift certificates, and those businesses include:

• Market Place Salon (BTB Advertiser)
• Levich Agency
• Archery Bistro
• Bison Creek Pizza (BTB Advertiser)
• La Costa
• Purple Café’ & Wine Bar
• Artist Warren Knapp

Here are some photos shot at the event by Gina:

Click to View Gina Bourdage’s Photo Slideshow

by Ralph Nichols

A few years ago, when I worked as a volunteer in the Emergency Department at Highline Medical Center, the waiting area usually was filled with patients and family members well into the evening.

Patients waited, as they still do, for their turn to be screened in a single triage room, then waited longer for a treatment room to become available. That’s not surprising since the crowded Highline Emergency Department, designed to handle 12,000 patients a year 50 years ago, now provides care for nearly 50,000 patients annually.

But all this will change soon. Construction of a new state-of-the-art Emergency Department that will triple the size of the current facility is nearing completion – on time and on budget. When its doors open to patients on April 13, waiting times for triage and treatment will decrease dramatically.

The new patient-friendly facility also will improve exponentially the convenience and efficiency of the working environment for physicians, nurses, radiology and lab technicians, and everyone else who contributes to the care of Highline’s emergency patients.

B-Town Blog photographer Michael Brunk and I joined a tour of the new Emergency Department on Jan. 19 – shortly after the end of major construction activity as the finishing process got underway. No equipment or furnishings had yet been installed.

Even at this incomplete stage, however, one thing was immediately apparent – the new Emergency Department is a magnificently awesome improvement over the current emergency facility.

Highline Medical Center CEO Mark Benedum described it well: “a facility that’s up to the care the staff’s been providing.”

Benedum said planning for the new Emergency Department began in 2005, with the start of construction on the $60 million project (which includes a new 31 bed Patient Care Unit) getting underway in 2008.

Highline Medical Center’s  service area extends from West Seattle to Federal Way and from Tukwila to Vashon Island, and most of its emergency patients come from this region – as well as persons driving along Interstate 5 and both passengers and employees at Sea-Tac International Airport.

Combine the size of this service area with its population growth in the last two decades and it’s easy to see why the aging emergency facility is overcrowded, noted Renée Klein, Executive Director of the Highline Medical Center Foundation.

The differences between the current facility and the new Emergency Department are strikingly apparent the moment one walks into its main entrance, which is on the west side of the medical center not far from the current emergency entrance.

The interior is bright and airy, with large windows that provide ample natural light, as well as spacious – 27,000 square feet compared with the current 9,000 square feet. In fact, the main nurses station area, well inside the Emergency Department, looks as if it could hold the entire existing facility.

Just beyond the reception desk are three private triage rooms, which will speed evaluation of patients, reducing their time in the general waiting area. Patients then will be taken to any of the 32 large, private treatment rooms, where admitting can be done at bedside.

Every room is universally equipped – “hardwired” – to handle any emergency. Two of the rooms are dedicated for pediatric care. The current facility has 19 beds, only eight of which are hardwired.

The ambulance entrance – with an ambulance bay that can accommodate about a dozen emergency vehicles including police cars – is on the north side of the Emergency Department. Two trauma bays for serious emergencies such as heart attacks are immediately inside. Each is designed to handle two patients if necessary.

Two diagnostic imaging rooms – one x-ray, the other CT, both dedicated for emergency patients – and a separate diagnostic imaging waiting room are located just beyond the triage rooms.

In addition, there are two seclusion rooms for psychiatric and other patients who require additional security, an isolation room for highly contagious patients, a decontamination room with an outside entrance for disasters and contact with hazardous materials, a separate area for first responders – emergency medical and law enforcement personnel – to write their reports, and a private family consultation room.

Designed byNAC Architecture, the Emergency Department was planned “from the physicians’ and nurses’ point of view” to provide “rapid treatment,” Klein said. The general contractor is GLY Construction .

One floor above the new Emergency Department is a 31-bed Patient Care Unit for medical and cancer patients. (Look for a report on this unit on the B-Town Blog soon.) Beneath it is a parking garage for those going to the Emergency Department.

The grand opening of the Emergency Department is set for April 9-10, and will include an open house for the public.

Klein noted that while most of the cost of the new facility was paid through bonds and capital reserves, only $5.4 million of a $10 million capital campaign has come in or been pledged. “I’m optimistic that the community will help us with that last amount,” she said.

Highline Medical Center receives no tax dollars for capital expenses and general operations, and relies largely on grants and pledges. If you would like to learn more about how to support Highline’s Campaign for a New ER, log on to www.LifeDependsOnIt.org or call the Foundation office at 206.901.8500.

Here’s Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow of the facility:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

On Thursday, Jan. 21st, several local restaurants will be hosting “Dine For Highline,” where a percentage of proceeds will be donated to Highline Medical Center’s “Campaign for a New ER.”

Originally built to serve 12,000 patients each year, Highline’s current ER now serves nearly 45,000, making it one of the busiest in the state; obviously, a new, state-of-the-art ER is required.

Here’s info from their press release:

Mark your calendar for January 21st!

On Thursday, January 21, several local restaurants are hosting Dine for Highline, whereby they will donate a percentage of their proceeds to the hospital’s Campaign for a New ER.

These generous businesses know that having a great community means having a great hospital, too, and that’s why they are supporting the campaign.

Now let’s show our support for them, while enjoying a fabulous meal!

Currently participating restaurants include:

• Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub
• Sal’s Deli
• 909 Coffee and Wine
• Mark Restaurant and Bar
• Yo’s Bistro
• Sidestreet Kitchen and Bar
• Angelo’s of Burien
• Australian Pie Co.
• Tin Room Bar
• La Costa Restaurant
• Archery Bistro
• Bison Creek Pizza (BTB Advertiser)
• Emerald City Smoothie
• Vino Bello Wine Bar

Here’s info on the campaign from Highline’s website:

A State-of-the-Art Facility
With support from the community, Highline Medical Center is building a 27,000 square feet, state-of-the-art ER housed in a new three-story building on its Main Campus. It will be equipped with the very latest advances in medical technology and staffed by an expert team of board-certified physicians. It is designed to make ER visits faster, to reduce stress and to enhance comfort for patients and their families at every stage of care:

• Three private triage rooms
• Bedside registration
• Sophisticated electronic patient tracking system
• Family consult room
• 32 private treatment rooms, with room for family members
• Dedicated decontamination room for disasters
• Diagnostic imaging within the ER
• Electronic medical records
• Separate family waiting area
• Private and confidential admitting areas
• Convenient free parking and easy drop-off

A Life Giving Opportunity: How You Can Help
Highline Medical Center Foundation has launched a $10 million community campaign to help fund construction of the new ER. Highline is not tax-supported. We are an independent, nonprofit organization created by the community and supported by the generosity of individuals like you. We need your help. Your gift is an investment in the future health and wellbeing of everyone in our community. It will assure that fast, convenient, state-of-the-art emergency care will be right here –– whenever life depends on it.

To support The Campaign for a New ER at Highline, be sure to “Dine For Highline” on Thursday, Jan. 21st, or click here or call (206) 901-8500.

BTB Advertiser Jim Coleman, DDS recently held their annual Stuffed Animal Drive for children who end up in the Highline Medical Center Emergency Rooms, and this year received over 300 donations!

The purpose of the annual drive is to provide children who may be visiting hospitals something to “calm them,” like a stuffed animal.

“These animals are given to children as they check into the ER and I have been assured by the nurses that they have a very calming effect on the kids,” said Lynn Coleman. “About half of this year’s donations went to the main Highline Medical Center campus, and the other half went to the Riverton campus in Tukwila.”

We here at The B-Town Blog tip our collective hats to this innovative fundraiser, as many of us here still use our stuffed animals to help calm us.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aidanmorgan/ / CC BY 2.0

BTB Advertiser Jim Coleman, DDS is holding their annual Stuffed Animal Drive for children who end up in the Highline Medical Center Emergency Rooms, and they’re looking for donations.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Jim Coleman, DDS annual Stuffed Animal Drive, to help calm children who end up in Highline Medical Center’s ERs.

WHEN: Now through Dec. 22nd.

WHERE: Donate stuffed animals at Jim Coleman’s offices, located at 1800 SW 152nd Street in Burien.

Jim Coleman, DDS

INFO: Here’s an email we received from Lynn Coleman:

As many of you know, our dental practice collects stuffed animals for the Highline Medical Center Emergency Rooms. These animals are given to children as they check into the ER and I have been assured by the nurses that they have a very calming effect on the kids.

We are again collecting animals and would really appreciate any contributions that you could make.

We will get them to the ER on the 22nd of December so if you want to drop them by our office before then, it will be great!

Let’s make those kids comfortable, loved and cared for in the best ER in the Seattle area!

Thanks,
Lynn Coleman

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aidanmorgan/ / CC BY 2.0