Due to Large Spikes in BLACK VIOLENCE & SHOOTINGS = Emergency Department Expansion to Begin Spring 2015 at Advocate Christ Medical Center

Advocate Christ Medical Center’s project to expand its emergency department and related support facilities was approved Jan. 27 by the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board.

The expansion is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2015, and it will include modernizing the Level I trauma and resuscitation center and expanding it from eight to 12 rooms, and emergency stations will be upgraded and increased from 42 to 70 stations, according to a news release.

The center will also enhance clinical areas that support the emergency department. These include general radiology, inpatient endoscopy, heart catheterization laboratories, recovery areas, triage, cast room and transesophageal echo, the news release stated.

The $85.5 million project is the third phase of the center’s master plan to expand and upgrade facilities. The emergency department expansion project is divided into two phases across multiple years.

Both the emergency department and the trauma center will be fully functional during the construction and renovation.

Construction will mostly take place inside the main hospital building, but some outside construction will improve parking areas near the emergency department’s trauma entrances, according to the news release. A covered garage will be developed to accommodate up to 10 ambulances and emergency vehicles.

“Our emergency department was built for an estimated 50,000 to 55,000 patient visits annually, but our actual visits have risen to 100,000 a year,” said Ken Lukhard, president of Advocate Christ Medical Center, in the news release. “The expansion of the emergency department will help ensure that all our patients can continue receiving the highest quality care when they need it.”