Safety takes another tact with new emergency care in Suffolk

By Phyllis Speidell
The Virginian-Pilot

SUFFOLK

When Junior falls off his skateboard, or mom suffers a kitchen injury, help is closer in northern Suffolk.

A new emergency care facility opened March 1 at the Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View, part of Bon Secours' ongoing expansion into the rapidly growing area of the city.

The $3.7 million facility offers another option in addition to Sentara Obici Hospital on Godwin Boulevard near downtown and Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth.

The emergency department, built in collaboration with developer N.T. Brinkman Inc., is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

As the number of patients warrants expanded hours, Bon Secours plans to have the center open continuously.

In spring 2008, local care options will expand again with the expected opening of the Sentara BelleHarbour outpatient medical center, fronting on Bridge Road near Temple Beth El, Church of God and Saints of Christ.

The first of three proposed Sentara BelleHarbour buildings on a 20-acre campus will include a 24-hour emergency department.

Room for competition

There should be plenty of business for both facilities, according to Nancy Bonalumi, the interim manager of the Bon Secours Emergency Department.

Lynne Zultanky, Bon Secours spokeswoman, said Bon Secours recognizes that the land within a seven-mile radius of Harbour View is one of the fastest growing areas in Hampton Roads.

Within the next five years, she said, the area will have more than 51,000 households, many with young children.

The emergency department saw 100 patients within the first week.

Among those were numerous cases of flu and at least one patient suffering what the staff termed "a serious cardiac event."

Patients experiencing severe medical problems will be transported by ambulance to the hospital of their choice, according to Bonalumi.

Thirty-minute "guarantee"

Joseph Raymond, who lives in nearby Nansemond Shores, drove himself to the emergency department a week after it opened.

He sought help for severe, reoccurring nosebleeds.

"I've been in emergency rooms at different times at Maryview, Portsmouth General and the naval hospital," said the retired shipyard rigger.

"Nothing but nice people here," he said.

"But when word gets around, this could get to be just like the others with the waiting time."

Bon Secours hopes the center's 30-minute guarantee policy will make it stand out from other emergency facilities, where there are often lengthy waits..

The guarantee pledges that the center staff will initiate treatment within 30 minutes, or the patient will be given a gift, such as a movie pass or a gift card to a local merchant, as well as an apology.

"In a time of stress, a sincere apology may be the most appreciated thing we can do," said Zultanky.

The concept of the 30-minute guarantee didn't spring from a pizza chain's delivery policy, but rather from community feedback about the need for medical practitioners to be more sensitive to the high anxiety level of patients coming into the emergency department, said Bonalumi and Zultanky.

"Time is pressing if you're not feeling well," Bonalumi said.

A year ago, Bon Secours initiated a similar program in three of its hospital emergency departments in Richmond.

The hospitals achieved a 92 to 97 percent success rate in meeting the 30-minute guideline, according to Zultanky.

During its first week of operation, the Harbour View emergency department didn't exceed 30 minutes to treat any patient.

The new, 11,000- square-foot, 17-bed facility has a comfortable waiting room, even if that wait is short.

The treatment rooms are all private, with flat-screen televisions, and are visible from the nurses' station.

A "fast track" area is for patients with minor ailments - sore throats, ear aches and stitches.

A decontamination room, with a separate entrance from the parking lot, has been set up to treat patients who are exposed to hazardous materials.

Within the next few months, X-ray equipment will be installed so that patients will not have to be moved out of the emergency area for diagnostic X-rays.

From simple to serious

Although the building and equipment are brand new, the staff of 15 is experienced, according to Barbara Lynch, Bon Secours vice president of ambulatory services.

The biggest adjustment, she said, is learning to work in a new space, much like moving into a new house.

The new facility is fully certified as a general emergency department capable of treating the simple to the serious - broken bones, cardiac and stroke symptoms, seizures and similar occurrences.

People who have more serious or massive injuries will be directed to a certified trauma center, such as Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

Local rescue squads will continue to transport patients to other emergency departments that are open 24 hours a day and certified to receive ambulances.

Phyllis Speidell, (757) 222-5556,

phyllis.speidell@pilotonline.com