Visitors entering Sarasota Memorial's new Emergency Care Center (ECC) triage area will experience an ambiance drastically different from the typical stressful, crowded emergency room.

Soothing classical music provided by Florida West Coast Symphony will play overhead. A tranquil design features warm colors, textures and indirect lighting. An 800-gallon aquarium with tropical fish from Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium will engage and relax visitors. Interactive, rotating exhibits from the G.Wiz Hands-On Science Museum will help keep families of all ages occupied while a loved one receives care. Plants from Marie Selby Botanical Gardens meet the unique challenges of a hospital setting. Local artist Dorothea S. Wendlandt has contributed artwork. Several "bubble walls" (large wall fountains filled with bubbling water) will provide stunning focal points.

The 3,500-square-foot new triage area, where emergency patients enter and are registered and assessed by staff, officially opens for business on Tuesday, Nov. 7. but Sarasota Memorial will host two preview events Saturday, Nov. 4.

The triage renovation is another step forward in Sarasota Memorial's efforts to ensure patients receive prompt care in an atmosphere that promotes healing and well-being. Last fall, the organization kicked off the Emergency Care Center improvement plan by opening a new 25-bed wing and unveiling a 30-minute wait-time guarantee, promising that emergency patients will see a board-certified emergency physician or physician assistant in a private room no more than 30 minutes after registering. To date, the hospital is meeting that goal with nearly three-quarters of its patients, even though it sees about 240 people a day, and serves as the health care safety net for the region. Sarasota Memorial has not had to divert ambulances to other ERs in nearly two years due to efforts to ease overcrowding.

"The triage department serves as the 'front door' of Sarasota Memorial for the approximately 85,000 patients who visit the Emergency Care Center each year," said Sarasota Memorial CEO Gwen MacKenzie. "Most people who go to the ECC are traumatized and in pain. We've heard from patients that the crowded, uncomfortable atmosphere typically found in emergency departments only exacerbates the situation. We want to welcome our visitors into an environment that reduces stress and anxiety and encourages recovery as much as possible, and are able to do so thanks to our community partnerships."

More Industry Headlines