Emergency room services will resume at Provident Hospital at 7:00AM Monday, April 20, 2020.

On April 3^rd, 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 6^th and officials committed to reopening it no later than May 6^th, sooner, if possible. Provident Hospital and Sengstacke clinic have remained open serving nearly 1,000 individuals since April 6^th.

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.