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Star Tribune: Minnesota Emergency Rooms Get Creative
Minnesota Emergency Rooms Get Creative to Meet Ongoing Patient Overcrowding
The latest solution to chronic overcrowding of Minnesota emergency rooms was built in Wisconsin, delivered by truck to Maplewood and attached to St. John’s Hospital. The Short-Stay Observation Unit was unveiled Thursday to provide faster care to patients who often wait for hours or receive emergency treatment in hallways or lobbies. The 16-bed unit will open Monday and specialize in patients who need a day or two of tests rather than prolonged hospitalizations and treatment, said Dr. Will Nicholson, vice president of medical affairs for M Health Fairview’s East Metro hospitals.
On-site construction of the new short-stay unit would have taken a year or two and disrupted hospital operations, said Danielle Gathje, vice president of operations for M Health Fairview’s East Metro hospitals. Instead, the health system hired The Boldt Company to build 90% of the facility in Appleton, Wis.