UPMC St. Margaret's
Emergency Department offers state-of-the-art technology and patient-
and family-friendly features. Construction of a new, larger Emergency
Department in January 2005 doubled the number of available treatment
areas and includes:
16 exam
rooms — eight large critical care treatment areas and
an eight-bed clinical decision suite for patients awaiting test
results or hospital admission. Each room includes a television.
bedside
registration —
after being triaged and taken to an appropriate treatment room,
Emergency Department patients are registered from the bedside
of their treatment rooms.
infrared
patient tracking system — pager-sized devices worn by
patients allow the Emergency Department staff to quickly locate
patients, wherever they may be within the department.
rooftop
helipad — located on the rooftop canopy above the Emergency
Department, the helipad provides convenient elevator access
for medical transport.
decontamination
area — features
its own outside entrance and separate air exhaust and water
drainage systems. The Emergency Department has its own air handling
system, which protects the rest of the hospital from any possible
contamination. The decontamination area was funded through a
$1.6 million federal grant that was awarded to the hospital
by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of
Emergency Preparedness.
spacious
waiting area — in addition to offering a relaxing area
for patients and family members, the new waiting area allows
Emergency Department staff to streamline patient check-in. Patients
are met by a greeter, triaged immediately, and then taken to
a treatment room where they are registered at the bedside.
family
privacy rooms — two private rooms provide a comfortable,
confidential area for patients and their families to discuss
sensitive details of care with a physician.
