Pocono News Section

Critical Care Hospital Prepares to Open

Critical Care Hospital Prepares to Open - Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 5:27PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008 @ 05:27pm EST
PLAINS TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY - Healthcare in the Wyoming Valley will take a major step forward next week in Luzerne County. Geisinger Wyoming Valley plans to open its brand new critical care building on Wednesday. Eyewitness News got a sneak peek inside the $60 million facility on Wednesday morning.

"The emergency department actually has 32 beds, 18 of the beds are acute-care beds. Ten are what we call "fast track" beds for patients who have bumps or bruises or need a stitch or two," John Zelonis said. Zelonis is the Associate Vice President of Geisinger Northeast.

Another part of the hospital that officials were quick to show off were the three trauma bays, which will help people most in need. Those most serious patients would land on the hospitals new heli-pad. Starting in October, Geisinger Wyoming Valley will be the only Level II Trauma Center in Luzerne County.

When the new heli-pad and critical care center are both open, patients won't have to be flown to Scranton or Danville and won't have to be moved from helicopters to ambulances.

"Those patients can come right into dedicated elevators that take the patients right down to the E. R. and trauma bays," Dr. Steven Pierdon said. Pierdon is the Chief Medical Officer.

When the new center opens Wednesday, the expansions won't stop. Hospital officials still plan to add another 25 beds to the intensive care unit of the building. They say it will only improve patient services.

"It's really not the building, as much as the people who are staffing that building and we're so excited about the physicians, nurses and technical staff that are there all the time," Pierdon said.

The new critical care building increases the size of the medical center by 178,000 square feet. That is an increase of nearly 50-percent.