BENNINGTON, Vt. — Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), will require renal dialysis and medical infusion patients arriving for services to use an alternative entrance starting Monday, Feb. 14.

 

Formerly used exclusively for staff, the S1 parking lot and entrance features a flagpole, and is the first right hand turn on Hospital Drive when accessed from Dewey Street. Additionally, several outpatient services will discharge patients at the same alternative location, including Medical-Surgical Units, the Intensive Care Unit, and Women's and Children's Services. Medical Records and Billing will also use this location for pick-ups, and patients are asked to use the phone located in the vestibule to coordinate delivery.

 

Two entry-point ambassadors will be posted to the S1 Lot every 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekends to assist patients who are unfamiliar with the entrance. For discharged patients waiting for rides and transportation, there is a large, indoor patient waiting area.  

 

These changes are part of the health system's project to renovate and expand the SVMC Emergency Department. The project requires that the current main entrance close to patient traffic at the end of March 2022. A new temporary main entrance will open at this time to accommodate visitors and patients, providing critical access to the emergency department, laboratory, imaging, and public elevators. The S1 entrance is a part of a plan the health system's engineers and construction management firm devised to use multiple entry points for staff, vendors, and selected outpatient services. The leadership anticipates that multiple entrances will decompress and limit traffic at the temporary main entrance during the 16-month project.

 

"Patient comfort is every bit as important now, during this major renovation, as it has always been," said Pamela Duchene, SVHC's chief nursing officer and vice president for Patient Care Services. "Patients and visitors will certainly see the physical changes on our campus, but they will continue to experience the same individualized, exemplary care."

 

The Emergency Department Renovation and Expansion will nearly double the size of the current Emergency Department, which was designed to accommodate 14,000 patient visits a year but currently sees nearly 25,000 annually. The project will further enhance patient safety, infection prevention, and patient privacy. Vertical treatment areas will allow for highly efficient treatment of low-acuity conditions. The project also includes an expansion to the Emergency Crisis Area for those experiencing mental health distress and increased telehealth connectivity with Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

 

Outside the Emergency Department, the project includes renovations of the Main Entrance, outpatient registration area, the Imaging Department waiting area, and the phlebotomy and laboratory upgrades. A new connector will provide improved access to SVMC ExpressCare and the Respiratory Evaluation Center.

 

Regular updates on the project are available in SVHC's weekly e-newsletter, on social media, and on the health system's website, svhealthcare.org/EDRenovation.