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$1 Million Grant to Expand SCH Emergency Room
CHICAGO, IL (December 6, 2004) - A $1 million federal grant will allow Swedish
Covenant Hospital (SCH) to upgrade and expand the hospital's emergency
department, the culmination of two years of work with U.S. Sen. Dick
Durbin and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, according to Mark Newton, SCH president
and CEO.
Durbin and Emanuel were honored during a celebration at the hospital
last week in Galter Medical Pavilion. The federal grant will allow the
hospital to pursue the improvements sooner than originally anticipated.
"Senator Durbin and Representative Emanuel worked very hard to enable us
to bring even better emergency care to our diverse community," Newton
told those assembled. "We are extremely grateful that both officials
recognized the need for expanded emergency services in our community."
Plans call for groundbreaking next spring, and the facility cannot come
any too soon, says Newton, noting that visits to the hospital's
emergency department increased by 31 percent between 2000 and the
present, with ambulance runs to the emergency department increasing by
130 percent and inpatient admissions up by 48 percent during the same
period.
The project is estimated to cost $6 million. The improvements will
expand the "Fast Track" examination and triage spaces, reducing
emergency waiting times, increasing the number of exam rooms, doubling
the waiting area capacity, providing additional staging for ambulances
and enhancing environmental isolation against airborne pathogens in the
event of public health threats.
The funding was included in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill approved by
the Senate and the House late last month. President Bush is expected to
sign the bill in the coming weeks.
"Residents of Chicago's North side depend on Swedish Covenant Hospital
when they're at their most vulnerable," said Durbin. "The emergency
department sees everything from broken bones and chest pains to visits
from those who can't afford preventative care and have nowhere else to
go. The hospital's value in this community grows every day. The funding
we're announcing today will help Swedish Covenant build an emergency
department that's equipped to meet the needs of this diverse and growing
community."
Those sentiments were echoed by Emanuel, who praised the hospital's
work. "By providing quality health services and being prepared for any
kind of emergency, whether accidental or intentional, Swedish Covenant
is on the front lines in protecting our neighborhoods and keeping our
families safe and healthy."
Swedish Covenant Hospital is a comprehensive healthcare facility that
has been providing health and wellness services to the communities of
Chicago's North side for the past 117 years. One of the few independent,
nonprofit hospitals in the area, Swedish Covenant remains focused on its
mission of compassionate care, administered by more than 500 physicians
and hundreds of other nurses and professional staff. To learn more about
the hospital, visit www.SwedishCovenant.org.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
