An official says it’s intended to meet the future needs of the community.
Frederick, Md. (KM) – Work is continuing on expanding the critical care area at Frederick Health Hospital. “We decided to embark on this renovation many years ago as we were recognizing that Frederick County continues to grow and change and expand,” says Cheryl Cioffi, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Frederick Health Hospital.
“As a pillar of our community for over 120 years, taking care of the well being of our residents and their health care needs, we really wanted to continue evolving and growing to make sure we could meet the demand for services,” she continues.
Part of the project includes the relocation of the Hospital’s Pediatrics Department which has already been completed. “It is now co-locating the entire Pediatrics Department for both the emergency services as well our inpatient overnight stays down on the first floor right adjacent to the adult Emergency Department,” says Cioffi. “So this will allow us to have improved facilities, additional bed capacity as well improved spaces for those overnight stays where families and parents can stay with their children while they are needing to be hospitalized.”
Changes have also been made to the Intensive Care Unit. . “The Intensive Care Unit has also been moved closer to the Emergency Department for direct access from the first floor to the second floor,” says Cioffi. “And there too we’ll have an additional couple of beds to care for intensive care patients as well as those family zones.”
FHH says it’s also building a new catheterization lab.
Cioffi says FHH has already opened a new emergency entrance as well as the new Pediatrics Department. “The Intensive Care Unit and the cath lab will be opening within the next six to eight weeks. And then the remainder of the Emergency Department, the interior completion, will take one more year,” she says.
The project costs just under $47 million dollars. Cioffi says $15 million of that amount will covered by contributions from the community. She says so far, $9.1 million of that $15-million has come in the form of donations from citizens. .
Anyone who wants to donate can go to FrederickHeatlh.org\donate.
By Kevin McManus