A beautiful fall day in Valparaiso was made a little brighter with a special ceremony that promises more care to the community.
Porter Health Care System's senior management, its board members, and community leaders gathered in front of the Valparaiso Medical Center to participate in a ground breaking ceremony for the new expansion that is expected to open in fall of 2015. This will be a freestanding ER that will be accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The new Emergency Department will have 10 exam rooms; a separate entrance with a new family waiting and reception area; it will be close to critical ancillary lab services such as x-ray, low-dose CT scanner, and a new wide-bore MRI; and it will ensure Porter's 30-Minute-Or-Less ER Service Pledge. Adult and pediatric patients will be able to be seen, and the same medical staff will be available to provide familiarity and the same top quality care to patients.
Existing medical services such as physician offices, the nationally certified Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, APEX Award-winning Chandana Outpatient Surgery Center, and fully accredited diagnostic imaging and lab services will still be available.
"Porter Health Care System has always been committed to providing the most comprehensive health care services to the city of Valparaiso," Porter Health Care System CEO Steve Lunn said. "This is an effort to advance that forward, and we are thrilled to be able to offer it."
With this new expansion comes not only more services, but also more jobs. Porter will be able to add around 50 new medical personnel who will provide quality care for our communities. Another added benefit of the Valparaiso Medical Center and its new expansion is its proximity to the local schools and residences in the area.
Design Organization, a Division of Shivehattery Inc. is the architectural organization that is one part of the whole that is going to make this idea into a physical reality. The other parts, along with Porter Health Care System, are: Walsh Construction; Sound Structures, Inc.; Biagi, Chance, Cummins, London, Titzer, Inc., Consulting Engineers; and DVG Inc.
"We've been developing this project for a while and we at Design Organization have a great relationship with Porter," Andrew Moats, Healthcare Group Leader at Design Organization said. "With Porter's leadership we have the opportunity to bring another great facility to the community...the location for the new expansion was considered at different places all over the campus, but the ideal position is right here in the middle. It's a clear definition as you come in that this is the emergency entrance."
Single-phase construction is set to being shortly so that the new expansion can be up and running as soon as possible.
"We are a community that is filled with people that really care about each other, people who are talented, and people who work toward excellence," Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas said. "In every community, having accessibility to quality healthcare is so vital. And I'm really thankful for all the investments that Porter has made. To have this new ER facility right here in the heart of the city is such a great idea. You're going to save lives by doing that. Our citizens will come to be very thankful for that."
To end the ceremony, individuals from Porter, the community, and the other organizations that are taking part in this project turned a shovel-full of earth to officially mark the beginning of this exciting endeavor.