CTH remodeled emergency department to open

Carson Tahoe Health’s newly remodeled emergency department is expected to open April 2.

The revamped Carson City facility now includes an internal waiting room, redesigned triage, and all new paint, carpeting and furniture.

“The triage is our crowning glory,” said Dustin Bass, director, Emergency Department.

Several triage rooms provide space for testing and treatment. A fifth recliner was added and the department has seven new ergonomic wheelchairs. The department also includes offices and a medication room.

Patients entering the ER will meet with an intake coordinator and be seen by a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner in an exam room at the front within 30 minutes, said Bass.

The department also added personnel: another nurse, paramedic, and emergency department flow coordinator. The department is staffed with a two nurses, an ED technician, paramedic, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner, and the flow coordinator.

The hospital’s emergency department sees 42,000 patients annually and as many as 164 patients a day.

The next phase of the department’s renovation to start at the end of the year will add eight rooms to the existing 18 patients rooms and support space for staff.

The emergency room projects are part of a multiyear, multimillion dollar expansion at the hospital that will include a two-story, 500 foot connector between the main building and Carson Tahoe Sierra Surgery.