New Wellstar Kennestone Emergency Department opens Thursday

On Thursday the new $126 million Wellstar Kennestone Emergency Center opens to the public, more than two years after construction began.

Last week Gov. Brian Kemp was on-hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 263,000-square-foot facility, which can handle up to 600 patients a day and 220,000 patients a year.

Here are a few of the features of the new center:

• Separate entrances and wings for pediatric and adult patients 
• A new, streamlined care initiation intake process 
• Private exam rooms instead of curtain dividers, with adjacent PPE don/doff rooms 
• Flexible spaces equipped to treat both high and low acuity cases 
• Planned spaces and processes for de-escalation, isolation and decontamination for patients who present with infectious disease, behavioral health, or chemical contamination issues 
• A second floor dedicated to behavioral health with 12 beds for specialized behavioral health and crisis intervention services 
• Three separate ambulance bays for different levels of patient severity, with parking for up to 17 ambulances 
• 14 negative pressure rooms 
• Direct access to the high acuity/trauma care area from the rooftop helipad via an elevator 
• Improved vehicular access for patients and emergency vehicles, and an on-site underground parking garage for patient drop-off 
• Imaging rooms directly adjacent to trauma rooms 
• Additional critical care equipment, technology and more 

The new center is one of three Level II trauma centers in metro Atlanta, and has 170 parking spaces. Access is from Cherokee Street. More information can be found here.

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