Emergency care is always ready
when seconds count
From flu symptoms to serious traumatic injuries, the Lancaster General Emergency Department & Trauma Center sees it all.
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The Emergency Department & Trauma Center team of doctors and
nurses is always ready at a moments notice to serve the Lancaster
community. The team includes (center) Dr. William H. Adam,
Emergency Department Medical Director; (back, left to right)
Tonya Jones, Patient Care Assistant; Mickey McDonough, Patient
Care Assistant, Lee-Anne Stouff, Emergency Department Nurse;
and Penne Marino, Assistant Nurse Manager. |
Last year the Emergency Department treated and examined more than 85,000 patients – and has seen a steady increase since 2001.
Lancaster General Emergency Department & Trauma Center expanded to 34,000 square feet in 2004, offering patients a more calming and caring atmosphere. That, along with staffing increases, has allowed the department to accommodate more than 90,000 patient visits a year.
The expanded department includes private rooms for each patient and features larger triage and specialized treatment areas for orthopedics, trauma, cardiac, pediatric and behavioral health.
To make the wait more comfortable for patients with minor injuries and for family members, Lancaster General worked with a community group to design its waiting area. From this collaboration came a visually calming waiting area that includes private seating, a children’s room with educational activities, some seating near televisions, and other seats away from the TVs.
Greeters are on-hand to help patients find where they need to go and answer questions for family members.
Quality emergency care
The Emergency Department is dedicated to providing patients with quality emergency care and service.
“We have a very dedicated Emergency Department team,” says Carla Leed, RN, Lancaster General Hospital Director of Nursing, Trauma/Emergency Services. “All of our physicians are board certified in emergency medicine, and our nurses and staff receive emergency medical training.”
“With Lancaster General Hospital’s reputation for high level care in our heart and orthopedic centers, many physicians recommend these types of patients to our emergency department,” adds William Adams, MD, Emergency Department Medical Director.
“We work as a team, not just in our department, but with the Heart Center team, the Orthopedic Center team – so patients know that whatever care they require, there’s quality care available to them right here and this carries over to their stay, if their condition warrants,” Jolyne says.
| By Your Side. |
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Jackie Knox
As a primary trauma nurse in
the Level II Trauma Center
at Lancaster General Hospital,
Jackie Knox, RN, knows the
importance of being ready for
anything at a moment’s notice.
For 27 years, she has served
the Lancaster community’s
emergency medical needs,
providing expert care while
continuing her own training
on new medical advances.
Jackie developed protocols
for nurses that allow them to
act quickly and professionally
for patients with heart attacks
and strokes.
These protocols are important
in limiting damage to a
patient’s heart or brain –
another example of how
Jackie and Lancaster
General are by your side. |
Lancaster General always looks for ways to improve emergency care for the community through networking with the local emergency medical services (EMS) providers. Recently we worked with Lancaster County Emergency Medical Services Association (LEMSA) to provide pre-hospital EKG receiving stations to all ambulance crews in the county, which helps activate our hospital trauma team sooner.
“When suffering a heart attack, it is important for patients to understand that time is muscle,” says Tim Zellers, Vice President of Nursing & Operations. “Patients need to be rapidly evaluated and moved onto the cardiac cath lab to evaluate and potentially treat the cause of the heart attack.”
“With the paramedics able to transmit EKG readings to us electronically from the scene, it helps us start the process sooner, get everything prepared, and if necessary, alert our cardiac cath lab about the incoming patient,” Dr. Adams adds.
Another area of specialty for the Emergency Department is stroke care. Lancaster General Hospital is a certified primary stroke center. For stroke victims, the ability to treat the stroke and prevent or limit permanent damage is dependent on how soon the patient seeks care.
For patients who present to the Emergency Department rapidly, there is a “Code S” Stroke team that is activated to rapidly assess the patient and determine treatment options. This process all starts in the Emergency Department where staff, Emergency Room physicians, technicians, and neurologists collaborate to assure the best possible chance of having a good outcome.
Level II Trauma Center
Another example of providing outstanding clinical care can be found in the area of trauma. For the past two decades, Lancaster General Hospital has been providing high level trauma care to the community as its only accredited Level II trauma center in Lancaster County.
This means that Lancaster General is able to provide prompt, complete multi-patient trauma care in a state-of-the-art facility. Our staff trauma surgeons can respond to emergency situations within 10 minutes, Carla says.
“Our recent three-year reaccreditation is confirmation of the dedication to clinical and operational excellence performed by the leadership, physicians, clinicians and support staff who work within our trauma services department,” she says. “The designation also recognizes our efforts in injury prevention, research and outreach activities.”
A big reason Lancaster General earned the reaccreditation is its commitment to continuous performance improvement, Dr. Adams says. “We have a team of trauma nurse managers who look at each case and meet every week to look for areas where improvements can be made in caring for our patients.”
Right care at the right time
The Emergency Department is divided into three patient care areas, each designed to handle specific cases:
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Traumatic Care – for severe injuries and life-threatening illnesses that require immediate attention
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Emergent Care – for treatment of moderate to severe medical problems
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Fast Care – dedicated to the treatment of minor injuries and less severe illnesses
As with any Emergency Department, patients are prioritized for treatment based on the medical severity of their conditions, so you can be assured that serious ailments will be handled promptly.
Fast Care accounts for nearly half of the patients that the Emergency Department sees, says Jolyne Barnett, RN, Emergency Department Nurse Manager. “Here we see a lot of conditions that a family doctor would typically treat, such as sprains, strains, childhood illnesses or lacerations.”
The Emergency Department sees many of these patients when treatment is required outside normal business hours. “Many family doctors will refer a patient to us if they are not available to treat the patient,” Jolyne says.
The right people
One of the best resources the Emergency Department and Trauma Center has is its dedicated personnel.
“We have an excellent staff,” Dr. Adams says of the 21 physicians and more than 100 nurses who provide care to patients in the Emergency Department. “Even when it’s hectic here, they always provide professional and compassionate care to patients and their families.”
Lancaster General’s designation as a Magnet hospital also speaks to the quality of nursing care throughout the organization, starting in the Emergency Department. Being a Magnet hospital means that we are able to attract and retain a highly talented team of nurses and staff. “The best nurses want to work at a Magnet hospital, and our highly skilled nursing team is qualified to handle patients from birth to seniors and respond immediately to any emergent condition,” Carla says.
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