Thousands of feet of pipes and electrical wire are being installed and the concrete slab has been poured. Interior work on the project, designed to nearly double the facility's capacity, is now under way. Some 27,000 people passed through the Fairfield hospital's emergency room last year - twice as many as the facility was originally designed to handle. The new facility will be nearly four times larger than the existing emergency room and will include 19 exam and treatment stations, compared to the current seven stations. The updated facility will also include bedside imaging capabilities and a sophisticated radio system for emergency personnel.
Work is slated to be done by the end of the year.
The project is being funded in part through sizable contributions from local businesses. The shell for the new emergency room was constructed in 1992, when NorthBay expanded its hospital. Until now the space has stood empty. The two entrances in the new emergency room will allow ambulances and patients to enter at different locations, something lacking in the current emergency room. Two trauma beds, six treatment beds and seven minor treatment rooms all will be available.