Expansion Doubles Size of Emergency Department

WARRENTON, Va. — Fauquier Hospital recently completed a $13 million project to double the size of its emergency department to handle a projected increase inpatient visits and shorten waiting times for current patients.

Construction lasted two years and was completed in two phases. The first phase expanded the department’s bed capacity from 15 patients to 33 patients with an additional 19,700 square feet.

The second phase included a 3,000-square-foot family waiting room that features a coffee stand, vending area and a children’s play area.

“We’re also opening up more exam rooms and adding more physicians and clinical staff,” says Dr. Joseph Servideo, chairman of the Fauquier Hospital emergency department. “All of this means we’ll be able to serve our patients much more quickly.”

A new CT scanner for emergency room patients will allow easier access and faster results, and portable digitized X-ray machines were acquired to provide in-room imaging for patients, according to hospital officials.

An electronic patient tracking system allows staff to locate and update patient status from anywhere in the department. A new canopy clearly identifies the entrance for patients and a separate entrance was built to safely accommodate ambulance and emergency vehicle access, according to designers. The ambulance/ emergency vehicle access points have been specifically engineered to allow for additional room to accommodate the led light bars found on the roof of these vehicles. There has been extra room for the telecommunications systems to report back to base.

The new expansion, designed by New York-based Cannon Design, utilizes daylight with half-height walls that allow light to flow through the interior spaces without sacrificing patient privacy, according to designers.

“The focus is on the well-being of the patient,” says Scott R. Thomas, vice president of the design firm. “An emergency department is by nature a stressful place, and that stress can be compounded if the environment seems too institutional, cold or confusing.”