Here when you need us: Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s Emergency Department Expands to meet growing demand

The Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is comprised of a dedicated team of physicians, nurses and other health professionals that provide an extraordinary level of knowledge, skill and compassion to every patient we serve, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
365 days a year.

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s emergency department expansion project is now complete and being utilized for patient care. Featuring 12 new patient care spaces that include three care initiation rooms, a bariatric room, an isolation room, two behavioral safe rooms and several universal treatment rooms, the Emergency Department now has 27 treatment spaces for patients seeking care. As part of the expansion, a results pending area that can accommodate additional patients was also added, along with the necessary support space to meet the increased demand.

“The expansion project also allowed us to redesign the patient intake process, which is in close proximity to the walk-in and ambulance entrance,” says Robin Powell, BSN, RN, CEN, Director of Emergency Nursing. “This intake area, called Care Initiation, supports rapid evaluation and initiates treatment when a patient first arrives in our emergency department so that we can best diagnose and treat individuals.”

“When you come to Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s Emergency Department, you shouldn’t have to wait a long time to be seen by a physician,” states Chief of Emergency Medicine León Sánchez, MD, MPH. “We recognize that patients come here when they’re in a tremendous amount of discomfort or experiencing some type of medical emergency, which is why we’ve worked so hard to make this process as easy as possible for patients and their families.”

Demand for emergency services at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital has been on the rise for several years, with more than 30,000 patients being seen in three of the last four years. “This expansion project was really about providing the best possible care for people who come to us in an emergency,” continues Powell. “By increasing the number of treatment spaces, staff can care for more patients in rooms rather than hallway spaces, allow for improved patient privacy, patient safety and what we believe will lead to improved patient satisfaction.”

And as always, once inside the walls of the hospital, the full range of Brigham and Women’s care really does open up to you. For example, if you’ve had an accident and hurt your arm, you may need an x-ray as part of your evaluation. Physicians from Brigham and Women’s Department of Radiology are right down the hall. Perhaps the MRI results require a consultation with an orthopedic specialist, which is just a few floors up as part of Brigham and Women’s Hand and Upper Extremity Service.

“From lab results and specialty services, our programs really are integrated into one system of care,” states Dr. Sánchez. “The physicians in our Emergency Department all fall under the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital so when you come here, you know you’re getting the very best care possible but in a more convenient and more easily accessible location for people in our community.”