Avera opens new Emergency Department

Avera Marshall officially opened the new Emergency Department expansion on Thursday. The new facilities double the size of Avera Marshall’s old Emergency Department and will be a step forward for patient care, as well as privacy and security.

Tours were given to the public, showcasing the multi-step project that began in January of 2018. This milestone marks the completion of the second of three stages. The temporary Emergency Department will be converted to observation rooms over the next few months, which will complete the project.

The construction brings the Avera Marshall Emergency Department to over 10,000 square feet of space. Emergency Department manager Bobbi Jo Vandendriessche provided a tour of the new exam and trauma rooms, as well as the centralized area where doctors and nurses can quickly access any of the rooms.

In total there will be 10 patient care rooms, including two trauma rooms. Dr. Timothy Hindbjorgen spoke during the ceremony before cutting the ribbon to the new facility.

He spoke about the new capabilities of the new facility and its importance as the area’s only Level III trauma center.

This designation means that the facility can provide care like surgery, intensive care and stabilization of injured people, and has 24 hour coverage by emergency physicians and availability of surgical teams.

Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center President and CEO Mary Maertens used a portion of her welcome at the open house to recognize the hard work of the project contractors as well as the medical center staff that has worked through the project.

She also made it a point to recognize the generous donors that helped make the project a success.

Ten percent of the nearly $6 million project was provided by donations from community members and organizations.

Emergency patients started coming to the new facilities on Monday.