The Chester River Health System requested a letter of support from the Chestertown Town Council for a $1.5 million bond grant from the Maryland Hospital Association to pay for ER upgrades.
“We are in the process of creating plans to expand and enhance and completely renovate the existing emergency department and add approximately 7,200 square feet onto the building to give us more space,” said Maryann Ruehrmund, executive director of the Chester River Heath Foundation, which is the fundraising arm of the hospital. “What we plan to do is completely reconfigure the emergency department.”
“We have 40% of the space we need for the volume of patients we have,” Ruehrmund.
She said the ER sees approximately 16,000 people each year, and 2012 so far has seen a 6.8% increase in ER visits.
Plans include adding two beds dedicated to behavioral health. Ruehrmund said the current behavior health room is inadequate.
“It’s a small room…and a very significant challenge to someone who would like some privacy,” Ruehrmund said. “That room was designed for their protection and for the staff, but it’s in a very inappropriate place and it is a flight risk and a safety risk for our guests.”
She said the layout of the current emergency department only gives nurses a line-of-site to two of the 11 beds, and nine of the other beds are in a common area where privacy is compromised because beds are only separated by curtains, which she said compromises privacy regulations.
“It’s a huge concern for privacy for the patient,” Ruehrmund said. “So the plans are to create individual rooms that are walled on three sides with a glass front and a central line of sight to a nurse’s station.
The plan will increase the number of beds from 11 to 13, with two dedicated to “behavioral health patients who will be put in a much more private and secure location,” Ruehrmund said.
A space will also be provided for people with airborne illnesses.
Ruehrmund said the emergency department was the “front door” of the hospital and 80% of the patients in the hospital come through the emergency department.
The project will begin in July 2013, she said.
The grant application asks for letters of support from the community, and Mayor Margo Bailey agreed that the renovations were necessary.
“I think this an incredibly important project,” Bailey said. She agreed with the concerns over privacy because of the time her late husband spent in the ER. She said you could hear patients medical histories being discussed in adjacent rooms separated only by curtains.
Councilman Marty Stetson questioned the increase in ER visits when the population has remained relatively flat in the county.
Ruehrmund attributed the increases to an aging population and the number of uninsured and under-insured visiting the ER.
“They let things wait too long until it is an emergency, and they end up at the ER,” she said. “And it’s our job to stabilize them.”
Stetson raised concerns about the town being on the hook for any part of the grant. Ruehrmund responded that a letter of support was the limit of the town’s involvement.
A motion was passed unanimously in support of the letter.
Michael Hildebrand says
I think the town counsel should have declined the letter of support in lieu of the lack of support that the hospital has for our community. People have stated over and over again as to the concerns we have as a community and the only thing the hospital is concerned about is the profit margin, and the bigger the better. The counsel should play the same game with the letter as the hospital has played with our care. There should have been several hearings, meetings, P.R. stunts and the like to “kick the can down the road” until it is to late. But, like all the rest of our governing bodies, they laid down for the people and stood up tall and proud for the corporations. There is no doubt in my mind that different arrangements could have been made but was to inconvenient for the hospital to work out. I am sure this will show in corporate bonuses later on. And I am sure that when donations are needed for the political race, there will be generous contributions made in return. Mean while, our town is slowly being sold out from under us one parcel at a time, our tax money is used to purchase businesses to be used buy the top few, new job importunity’s continue to be run off and of non concern and the taxes continue to go up while the services received continue to decline. I am sure the photo’s that will be in the paper will be worth all the time and trouble the community will have in transporting the people in need of medical care to other hospitals.
Jack Offett says
1. It is “council” not “counsel.”
2. The council would be acting grossly negligent not to support an enhanced emergency room . . . unless the agenda is to force the hospital to deliver substandard emergency care in the future.
3. The continued harping on the loss of obstetrics and pediatrics is completely misguided and reflects the vulgar notion of “me” rather than “us” that is destroying our country financially and morally. The reality of “us” is that this community decided long ago not to be a competitive job creating community.
4. If you are looking for someone to hang, start with the half century worth of no growthers in our community who have, for whatever misguided reason, created an end result whereby we have an aging population that is no longer able to bear children on the volume necessary to support high quality care in those care areas. Those who could have moved on to find work or were never born.
5. Let’s work to improve the services we need for the graying population, instead of pushing for expenditures on services that are delivered in a far better way at our regional medical centers.
Karen O'Connor says
Thanks for pointing out that there are reasons unrelated to hospital leadership that have created the situation in peds and obstetrics. It cannot be emphasized enough. The delivery of high quality services is paramount to the community. Reconfiguration of the ED has been in the planning stages for several years, recognizing that it is a growth area and also the primary source of inpatients to the hospital. I am delighted that the town council recognizes the importance of supporting the hospital. It is a significant factor in drawing people , especially retirees, to this area. Help the hospital by supporting it! Tell you physician you want to stay in Chestertown for your healthcare needs, and that will happen. You do not have to have procedures and diagnostics elsewhere but you have to make it clear that you prefer to use the local services.
Keith Thompson says
Of course, there is the option of not supporting the hospital and simply have it close down entirely. I don’t suppose that the lost of jobs or services would have an adverse affect on the town. Support is a two way street and a vibrant community feeds off a vibrant hospital, and vice versa. This is an aging community and in order for the hospital to be vibrant, it must reflect the community it is in and this community is an aging one. The hospital is simply adjusting to its community. If you want the hospital to support a certain segment of the community, it must deliver that segment of the community to the hospital. If not, the hospital is simply wasting resources and as we’re finding these days; money is not an infinite resource.
Billie Beck says
I agree, the Town should have declined on that letter. As much empty areas that the hospital is going to have, why not move x-ray and use all that space to expaned the ER. Sure seems it’d be cheaper then all this adding on.
Steve Payne says
Unfortunately I’ve been in there twice in the last 9 months and I feel they did a great job. I can confirm that they are very busy and they and put people where they can and it is a real problem.
Where does an individual sent a letter of recommendation?
Jack Offett says
Sounds like you should feel fortunate, Steve Payne, not unfortunate.
Steve Payne says
That’s true. I felt unfortunate about having having health problems but very fortunate about the treatment received there and outcome.