The Adena Board of Trustees has approved funding to expand Adena Regional Medical Center’s (ARMC) emergency department.

The $36.1 million dollar investment will increase the emergency department from 16,500 square feet to 59,000 square feet. The project includes more than 43,707 square feet of clinical space with the addition of six treatment rooms, and 32 more patient care areas.

“Patients, staff and members of our community have told us the current layout and size of ARMC’s emergency department is not effective in today’s health care environment,” said vice president of ARMC Nick Alexander. “These funds will allow us to design and build an emergency department that not only meets the health care needs of patients in our region, but will now match the quality of care being delivered by our physicians and caregivers.”

Once complete ARMC’s new emergency department will accommodate more than 60,000 patients a year. The added space and more efficient layout will also enable caregivers to assess patients sooner, and to deliver comprehensive treatment faster.

Having a modern, robust emergency department is important in meeting the health care needs of the patients served by Adena.

“Adena has been independently serving the needs of our community for more than 120 years. We want to remain independent, and to do that we have to keep growing and remain competitive,” said Adena Board of Trustees Chair Steve Burkhardt. “We owe it to our community by offering the best health care experience possible. The current facility does not do that.”

Construction on the new emergency department is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2017.

For more about Adena Health System and its services, visit adena.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @adenamedical.

Submitted by Jason Gilham, communications manager, Adena Health System.