-New Facility Will Offer Improved Emergency Care and Enlarged Family Care Unit-

-Parking and Entrance for North Tower to be Relocated-

-Free Valet Parking Offered for Emergency Department Patients-

ATHENS, September 30 - Athens Regional Medical Center (ARMC) will begin construction on significant improvements to its Emergency Department (ED), Central Energy Plant, and Family Care Unit on October10.  These changes will allow Athens Regional to accommodate growth and better serve its patients, but will require short-term adjustments in parking and hospital entry for many patients, employees, visitors and vendors.

Earlier this year, Athens Regional applied for a Certificate of Need with the state of Georgia for its expansion.  The application was approved, and work is scheduled to be completed within three years.  Signage will be posted and additional staff will be on campus to direct visitors to appropriate parking and entrance areas as construction begins.  Free valet parking will be available at a temporary entrance to the ED for emergency patients during the construction period. Up-to-date information about the expansion and parking arrangements will also be posted at www.armc.org.

Improved Patient Care

The current Emergency Department is over capacity, serving more than 55,000 patients per year in a facility designed in 1986 for 35,000.  Projections call for the ARMC Emergency Department to see more than 70,000 patients by 2009. 

Additional rooms and new equipment in the new East Tower will accommodate projected population growth and ensure that ARMC patients continue to receive high-quality care.  New rooms will have consistent designs and sizes, allowing for maximum efficiency.  Patient flow and staff patterns will also be more efficient in the new design.

The expansion will provide significant improvements to ARMC's obstetrical, post-partum and Family Care units including labor and delivery rooms, as well as larger rooms for mother and baby after delivery.  The relocation of the obstetrical unit will result in no change in bed capacity or new services, but the new space will include a variety of improvements for patients and staff, such as attractive furnishings and décor and larger nursery areas. 

A new 337-space parking deck built underground on the site of the current North Tower short-term parking lot will alleviate parking challenges on the east side of campus.  The upgraded Central Energy Plant will serve all of the new facilities.

Emergency Room Access

While construction is under way, Emergency Department patients will enter Athens Regional off of King Avenue. At this new temporary entrance to the Emergency Department, patients will be assessed and either treated there or transported across the street to an 11-room Express Care Unit (ECU) built specifically to accommodate non-critical emergency patients.  The ECU is located at 125 King Avenue in a building that formerly housed Athens Orthopedic Clinic.  The ECU will provide efficient, compassionate service for non-critical emergency patients with relatively less urgent needs.

Free valet parking service will be available for emergency patients arriving at the Emergency Room during the construction period.  A covered golf cart will also be available to transport patients during inclement weather.  Maps are available at www.armc.org that show parking areas and hospital entrances during construction.

Parking and Hospital Access During Construction

As the underground parking deck is constructed, the current short-term parking lot and patient drop off area at the corner of Prince Avenue and King Avenue will be unavailable.  Athens Regional patients seeking access to existing North or South Tower services, including cardiology, radiology, nuclear medicine, family care  and oncology will need to park in the hospital's existing parking deck off Talmadge Drive and enter through the South Tower entrance.  Access to the Medical Services Building, Talmadge Heights Building, Outpatient Surgery Center, Guest Houses, Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support and Physician's Imaging Center will not be affected by the construction.  Please note: Obstetrical patients in active labor should use the King Avenue Emergency Department entrance. 

Timing

Construction will be completed in phases.  Phase I, from October through mid-2007, will include construction of the Central Energy Plant and parking deck, as well as construction of a new entrance to the Emergency Department (the existing Emergency Department will be utilized during phase I.) 

Phase II will include a new emergency medical services entrance and 22 new exam rooms.  Areas completed in Phase I will be utilized during Phase II.  The project is expected to be completed in less than three years.  Additional information and details on the project (including renderings, specifics on the improvements and site plans) will be posted on www.armc.org throughout the construction period.