Baystate’s new ER on one of its first days. Photo Credit – Jim Kalbaugh
I was cleaning out my phone the other day and I found some pictures that I took back in November before I left Massachusetts. On December third of 2012, Baystate Medical Center opened its new emergency room. In the weeks prior, they were inviting paramedics and EMTs from the area to come and take tours so they would know a little more about the facility before it opened. I attended one of these tours, and took a few shots.
“B Pod” almost ready to receive patients.
First of all, I have to say that the facility itself was beautiful, and while I always liked Baystate’s old ER, it was a clearly an upgrade. While this was close to six months ago, and I am sure some might feel that the pictures would have been more relevant a post then, as I reflect back on them the staggering thing about them to me is the actual status of the emergency room when I took the shots.
Much of the ER was ready to go, and probably could have taken patients that day but the place was empty. Patient rooms were vacant, no one was in any of the nurse’s stations or pods. Everything in their trauma room was neatly put away, and in two week’s time it would never look like this again.
Baystate can be a pretty chaotic place. As the only level 1 trauma center west of Worcester, and the region’s premiere STEMI and pediatric center it was constantly full and many times overcrowded. To see this brand new state of the art ER completely empty was a sight to behold.
In the months since it has opened, the transition has seemed to go relatively well, at least according to some of the folks that I have spoken with about it. That is not at all surprising to me considering the quality of the nurses, doctors, and staff that work there. Still though, kudos to them.
A two patient room stocked and ready to go.
One of Baystate’s trauma rooms. Notice the red line on the floor to help designate where people should stand