The Emergency Department at MetroHealth’s Medical Center dates from 2004 and needs to be renovated, not only to update its appearance but also to provide larger spaces for new diagnostics and interventional equipment (MetroHealth). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Changes due during, after construction
Possibly by the end of this year, major changes are coming to MetroHealth’s Emergency Department (ED) at its main campus in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood, 2500 Metrohealth Dr. A renovation project costing up to $9 million will get underway amid the goings-on of a busy Level I trauma center.
The trick will be in organizing and coordinating construction laborers working around a functioning, sometimes frenzied ED. And it will require keeping the existing ED easily accessible to care providers and not confusing to patients and their loved ones during a very stressful time in their lives.
“Keeping the ED operational and welcoming during construction is a top priority as we move forward,” said Tim Magaw, director of system communications at The MetroHealth System, in an e-mail to NEOtrans. “It is the front door to our hospital and a critical access point for patients in need.”
While the renovation project will be confined to the 50,820-square-foot ED, which is located in the 3400 block of Scranton Road, there will be one change that will help free up some space within the ED’s existing walls, he said.
That includes relocating the ED administrative offices, which currently measure about 5,550 square feet, to an area right next door to the ED in the Bellgreve Building. A detailed, 10MB summary of the ED project can be downloaded here.
With more than 22 years of constant, hard use, MetroHealth’s Emergency Department is in need of a significant freshening up that will include the relocation of administration offices to free up a little more for patient care (MetroHealth).
“We are currently seeking to renovate and modernize four distinct areas within the existing, fully operational MetroHealth Emergency Department,” wrote W. Daniel Bickerstaff II, founder and principal architect at Shaker Heights-based Ubiquitous Design, LTD, in a permit filing with the Cleveland Building Department.
In that filing, he emphasized that the proposed scope of work for this renovation project is limited exclusively to interior alterations, with no exterior modifications or additions contemplated. Bidding for the project is about to get underway, so a more definitive timeline should be available in a month or two.
MetroHealth’s ED is one the of busiest trauma centers in the state. It treats nearly 80,000 patients per year including 8,100 trauma patients, according to MetroHealth statistics. Last year, more than 5,400 patients arrived the hospital on Metro Lifeflight air and ground transports.
“While our Critical Care Pavilion was expanded in 2016, the physical space occupied by the Emergency Department hasn’t been updated since it opened in 2004. It’s due for an update,” Magaw added.
Looking north along Scranton Road, the main entrance to the Emergency Department is at right in a building constructed in 2004 that needs to be modernized. This is a streetview from 2018 (Google).
This project comes at a time when the Cleveland Clinic is moving forward with plans to expand its own Emergency Department so it can pursue a Level I trauma center designation, in competition with MetroHealth and University Hospitals. Both have opposed the Clinic’s move.
“This (renovation project) is not in response to the Clinic’s plans,” Magaw said. He noted that plans for MetroHealth’s ED renovation were announced last year, before the Clinic announced its plans in January.
Funding for MetroHealth’s ED project is coming from a mix of sources, including philanthropy, government dollars and system investment, he explained. The $9 million cost estimate comes from Ubiquitous Design’s application. The actual amount could be far less.
“On the philanthropy side, we received a lead gift of $3 million from The Samuel H. Miller Foundation,” Magaw said. “We also received $200,000 through the state capital budget and $350,000 through Cuyahoga County Council-District 10 (represented by Councilman Michael Houser Sr.).”
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