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Washington Evening Journal
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Compass opens new emergency department
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
MARENGO — Workers scurried to finish the Compass Memorial Healthcare Emergency Department ahead of its open house Monday, but by 4 p.m. everything was ready — for the open house and for opening day Tuesday, Sept. 9.
“A lot of folks have put a lot of work in it,” said Barry Goettsch, Compass Memorial Healthcare chief executive officer, as he greeted residents to the new wing.
Goettsch said he’s proud of the new facility. “We’re pretty blessed.” The addition wouldn’t have been possible without community support, Goettsch said.
People started arriving for the open house at 3:30 p.m., said Mary Warwick, director of administrative services.
The large waiting room was crowded with visitors, and that didn’t surprise Warwick. “We’ve had a lot of people say they were excited,” said Warwick.
Teresa Sauerbrei, chief nursing officer, said many people asked her the last few weeks when the new emergency department would open.
The new wing, which overtook a block of West May Street between Western and Lafayette Avenues, has seven rooms and a triage room that can be used as an eighth.
The triage room, used for initial assessment of patients, could be used to for a quick treatment if needed, Sauerbrei said.
Nurses have a larger med prep area and a pantry for meals or snacks for patients that might need them.
The “big, beautiful’ nurses station beneath skylights has space for five nurses. The old emergency department had room for only two at the nurses station, said Sauerbrei.
At the back of the nurses station is a glassed in area where doctors can have privacy while they work.
A room with two recliners, called the service-to-patient room, is used for infusions and other services that patients might need, but without a hospital stay, Sauerbrei said.
Two of the seven treatment rooms are “safer” rooms, said Sauerbrei. They have garage-type doors that can be lowered to cover the glass and equipment in case a patient has a mental issue.
The doors cover cords and anything that can be thrown, said Sauerbrei. Computers are kept in a cabinet.
Two rooms are designated trauma rooms and are a little larger, said Sauerbrei. They have more space and more lighting.
Another room is specific to obstetrics and gynecology.
The ambulance garage is all enclosed. No more driving up under a canopy and unloading patients in the weather.
Ambulances enter from Western Avenue, deliver patients and drive east through the garage, exiting in the emergency room parking lot onto May Street.
Next to the garage is a decontamination room for patients who may have been exposed to chemicals.
Another room provides more space and specialized equipment for larger patients. It also has a private bathroom and can be used for a patient who may in the emergency department for a while.
A family room with access to both the waiting room and the emergency department provides privacy for families who need to discuss private matters about a patient. That’s not always good to do in the waiting room, said Sauerbrei.
Almost all of the nurses employed at Compass work the emergency department, said Sauerbrei. It’s usually staffed with two nurses, though sometimes only one nurse is on duty overnight.
“The extra rooms are definitely welcome,” said Sauerbrei. Nurses like to get people out of the waiting room and into treatment rooms as soon as possible, she said.
“For us, that’s one of the nicest things.”
The nurses also like having larger workspaces, Sauerbrei said. “Every aspect is improved.”
