Posted: 8/21/2015
Parkland officials announced that all 626 inpatients have been safely transferred to the new hospital – a full day ahead of schedule.
Beginning at 7 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 20, Parkland began the process of moving hospitalized patients to the new facility at 5200 Harry Hines Blvd. Nedra Washington, 28, was the first patient to be transported over the Mike A. Myers Sky Bridge that connects the two facilities. Accompanied by a team of healthcare providers, Washington arrived at her new private room shortly thereafter.
Less than 20 minutes after the 6 a.m. opening of the new emergency department, the first patient was brought via ambulance. Within an hour the first CareFlite landed with a trauma patient who was whisked to the Rees-Jones Trauma Center. At 9:40 a.m., the first baby was delivered.
“Parkland staff completed this entire move process safely and efficiently while continuing to take new patients. Patients have been coming in on foot, by ambulance, by helicopter and we have been ready to serve them as if it were a normal work day at Parkland. That couldn’t happen without a workforce that is extremely dedicated to the health and well-being of our community,” said Fred Cerise, MD, MPH, Parkland’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “It is our staff who made the early completion of this move possible, and I am proud to be able to say I work with them.”
By 8:10 p.m. on Thursday, Parkland had completed its planned patient moves, contingency units and an additional five units, which were scheduled for the second and third days.
“At the onset of Thursday’s historic move, we had both predictions and expectations. These calculations were based on patient volumes, annual performance, discharge rates and several other pieces of information. What we couldn’t have anticipated was our single most important factor in our success: the outstanding dedication displayed by our Parkland staff and providers,” said Alexander Eastman, MD, Medical Director and Chief of the Rees-Jones Trauma Center at Parkland and Assistant Professor of Surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Parkland leaders attribute the safe, efficient and expeditious move process to countless hours of planning and practice.
“We have been preparing for this move for well over a year and challenged ourselves to plan for every possible scenario that could potentially arise,” said Kris Gaw, Parkland’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer – Hospital Operations. “The success of this move proves that our preparations and training for this enormous endeavor were critical to the safe patient transfer to the new hospital.”
The new 2.1 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility adds desperately needed space for better delivery of healthcare services to a growing population, particularly in critical areas such as the emergency room, operating room, burn center and neonatal intensive care unit. The hospital includes 870 private patient rooms.
For more information about the new Parkland Memorial Hospital, please visit our website at www.newparklandhospital.com.