Emergency room services will resume at Provident Hospital at 7:00AM Monday, April 20, 2020.
On April 3rd, Cook County Health announced the need to temporarily suspend emergency room services at Provident Hospital, a decision that was not made lightly, but one that was necessary for the safety of patients and staff. The emergency room was closed on April 6th and officials committed to reopening it no later than May 6th, sooner, if possible. Provident Hospital and Sengstacke clinic have remained open serving nearly 1,000 individuals since April 6th.
Over the course of the last two weeks, a number of improvements were completed including:
- Reconfigured and installed new seating to meet social distancing guidelines. Created designated seating area for suspect COVID patients.
- Creation of mobile registration units to reduce the need for patients to sit in a confined space for registration, allowing for social distancing.
- Reconfigured existing nursing workstations to meet social distance standards.
- Reconfigured process flows to reduce unnecessary movement in the ED.
- Relocated support services so that interaction between patients and staff occurs following the COVID screening process.
- Designated triage, exam and isolation areas for COVID-19 patients.
- Installed communication systems to allow safe interactions between staff and patients.
- Created separate workrooms for doctors and staff.
The size and configuration of the Provident Emergency Room was a consideration in the decision to build a new facility announced last year by Cook County Health. These improvements will provide a safer environment for all patients and staff in the emergency room, particularly during this pandemic.