Your Friendly Neighborhood Emergency Department (p.38)

The Triangle is known for the technological breakthroughs it introduces to the world, as well as its reputation as one of America's fastest growing areas. Growth and innovation are also the driving forces behind a special breed of emergency medical care facility, first introduced to our state in Wake County.

The stand-alone, full-service emergency department (ED) concept was inspired by community need," said Carolyn Knaup, RN, MHA, vice president, WakeMed Ambulatory Services. In 2002, WakeMed North Healthplex – complete with outpatient imaging, surgery, rehabilitation therapies, and laboratory services – opened for business. "It was always the hope that one day North Healthplex would become a full-service hospital, so, as a start, we opened the facility with comprehensive lab and imaging services and technology," said Knaup. WakeMed North Hospital will in fact open in fall 2014.

The North Healthplex staff and administration soon realized an interesting fact: "Once our logo goes on a building, people expect that all types of health care services, particularly emergency medical services, are available in that facility," said Knaup. "There was a definite need for access to emergency care in North Raleigh, but the time wasn't right to build a full-service hospital. In our minds, hospitals and EDs always go hand-in-hand, so we weren't quite sure how to fulfill this community need."

Knaup credits Janice Frohman, RN, director of WakeMed Emergency Services, with the idea of adopting the stand-alone, full-service ED concept. "Janice knows how fortunate Wake County and the surrounding region are to have highly skilled emergency medical services teams. She figured that as long as a facility had the physicians and standards of care consistent with those of a traditional ED and the right transportation in case patients need to be transferred to a trauma center, Wake County could adopt this special emergency care model."

Transportation, the same standards of care used in traditional EDs, and the same physicians who serve patients in traditional EDs, all contribute to the success of a full-service, yet stand-alone emergency department. "People have access to all the services available in a traditional in-hospital ED close to home," said Knaup.

When the North Healthplex Emergency Department opened in 2005, the staff was not sure what to expect. "We projected patient volumes would be 14 per day, and soon realized we were totally off base," said Knaup. Patient volumes quickly soared to 40 per day – a testament to North Raleigh's need for access to full-service emergency care.

Soon, WakeMed North Healthplex's unique emergency care model began to attract national attention. "Hospital leaders from throughout the United States come to Wake County to tour the Healthplex and see if it will work for them," said Knaup. Knaup also noted that she needs to make sure these visitors understand the Healthplex concept before they come to the Triangle.

"We are not an urgent care facility," said Knaup. "If someone wants to come to Wake County and tour the Healthplex because they want to open an urgent care facility, I have to refer them to someone else." Urgent care facilities are great options for adults and children who have minor injuries and illnesses. They are not open 24 hours a day and do not have the comprehensive testing services of a full-service ED.

WakeMed North Healthplex houses a complete, full-service emergency department that is open 24 hours a day. The same physicians who serve patients in the WakeMed Raleigh Campus ED serve patients at the North facility and they follow the same standards of care.

This holds true for WakeMed's Apex Healthplex, which opened in Apex in 2008, and the health system's newest location, Wake-Med Brier Creek Healthplex, 8001 TW Alexander Boulevard, which opens January 9. These communities continue to grow, and while they may not need a full-service hospital in their immediate vicinity, a full-service ED in their area is proving to save area residents time and, more importantly, lives.

The innovation and growth that define our area is also defining the way area health care providers deliver care to the communities they serve. "I think that's one of the things that makes our area unique," said Knaup. "WakeMed and other health care providers in our area are creating health care solutions that meet the specific needs of the families and communities we serve. That helps make the Triangle the special place it is."