St. Joe’s Hamilton unveils renovated emergency department

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton has made new updates to its emergency department.

The goal is to improve the patient experience with more space and security features to help with efficiency.

“The space allows us to do that with improved communication, improved privacy, improved safety,” said Dr. Andrew Healey, chief of emergency medicine at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

The $1.5-million project was essential to update the 20-year-old emergency department located at 50 Charlton Ave. East and address the changing needs in the city.

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“The diseases are more complex, the management is more specific, medical advances are happening and the social circumstances of those patients that come with them to the emergency department are also increasingly complex and of higher need,” Healey said.

With more than 70,000 patients being helped every year, it’s a critical hub for the city.

“This is right in the downtown area and there’s a lot of issues in here,” said Hamilton Centre MP Aslam Rana.

“There are wonderful doctors here, nurses and I really appreciate their services. Day and night, they’re working in here.”

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Once a patient enters the emergency department, they’ll take a number and then take a seat in one of the 36 chairs that are available in the space. Next, they’ll go through registration and be triaged in one of the four rooms along the wall.

“Whether you’re here for surgery or whether you’re here for mental health, this is the front door. That front door should be modernized,” said Michael Heenan, president of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Enhanced security is a key feature in the updates with shatterproof glass and an integrated security room, offering a direct view of the area.

“We have everything from the police helping patients get care, to walk-ups from those who may be unhoused, to people who are here with children and because they’re here with a symptom or a problem…that can manifest itself into anxiety,” Heenan said.

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The goal is to get patients the help they need in a timely manner.

While emergency wait times across the city vary, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton is the busiest with a nearly nine-hour wait around lunch time.

“Our health-care system is stretched, there’s no question about that,” Healey said, “so we continue to strive to provide the most efficient care possible.”

The renovated emergency department will open to patients on Aug. 6.

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