Recently, Memorial Hermann Southwest invested $2 million to redesign and renovate its emergency department. In the process, an area that formerly served as a neighborhood clinic was converted into Express Care – open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
The emergency department at Memorial Hermann Southwest is one of the busiest in the city. Each day, more than 200 people come through the department’s doors for high-quality emergency care. The Express Care element was added to treat patients with non-life threatening injuries quickly thus creating more space for those in need of a higher level of emergency care in the emergency department.
“Since we opened Express Care in January, we’re treating about 40 patients a day or roughly 20% of the daily volume in our emergency department,” says Laura Price, director, emergency services, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital.
When patients arrive at the Memorial Hermann Southwest emergency department they are immediately assessed to determine if Express Care is appropriate.
“If someone comes in with chest pain, they’re going right into the emergency department,” says Price. “But if we have a patient with an ear infection or a minor cut that needs stitches – those are the kinds of conditions we can direct to Express Care and save the patient time.”
Express Care is staffed by emergency department nurse practitioners, physician assistants and nurses allowing for consistent care throughout the emergency department.
Memorial Hermann Southwest is located at 7600 Beechnut Street, Houston, 77074. For more information, visit memorialhermann.org or call 713-456-5000.