News Room - Recent News

Work begins on Suffolk's newest ER

By NANCY YOUNG, The Virginian-Pilot
© April 26, 2006
Last updated: 10:23 PM

SUFFOLK - Thousands more stitches to sew, bones to set and pills to dispense.

When looked at through the prism of emergency medical services, that's what the rapid growth in the northern area of the city over the past decade means.
In about a year, there will be a much shorter drive for many of those people - who now must travel to Sentara Obici Hospital in another area of the city, Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth or Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News .

On Tuesday , there was a groundbreaking ceremony for an emergency department at Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View , which is scheduled to open in March .

Initially, the facility will be open 16 hours a day, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. , but is expected to eventually expand to a 24-7 operation. Bon Secours officials expect the emergency department will have almost 11,000 patient visits in the first year and more than 16,500 by the third.

The 11,000-square-foot facility will have 19 treatment beds. People with life-threatening conditions will be stabilized and transferred by ambulance to Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth, another Bon Secours facility.

According to a Bon Secours analysis of U.S. Census statistics, the community surrounding the new facility in a seven -mile radius grew from 38,700 households in 1990 to 45,128 in 2000 and the Harbour View area is expected to grow to 51,000 households in the next five years.

Just down the road from the health facility on Harbour View Boulevard, Winnie Carson and her daughter Sheree Carson were enjoying ice cream Tuesday evening. They said having an emergency room in the area is a good idea.

"There's a lot of development here," said Winnie Carson, who lives in an area of Suffolk that's closer to Sentara Obici but who has a daughter and a grandchild who live near Harbour View. "This will be much more convenient."

"You know how kids fall and everything," said Sheree Carson, who was visiting from Maryland. "It'll be good to have something close to home."

Reach Nancy Young at (757) 446-2947 or nancy.young@pilotonline.com.


© 2007 HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com

###

Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System is a leading health care organization known for providing care for the whole person with grace and clinical distinction. Bon Secours brings together a network of hospitals, primary care practices, ambulatory care sites and continuing care facilities to provide quality health care services to the residents of Hampton Roads. Bon Secours, which employs more than 4,500, includes: Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center, Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center, Mary Immaculate Hospital, Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View, Bon Secours Maryview Nursing Care Center and St. Francis Nursing Center.

Back to News Coverage