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Tampa General Opens State of the Art Trauma Center
by Bill Sharpe
Tampa General Hospital Opens State of the Art Emergency and Trauma Center
With an expenditure of nearly $200 million and an addition of over 200 employees, Tampa General Hospital on Tampa’s Davis Islands opened a facility prepared for any large scale crisis. With an emphasis on comfort and convenience, the new center provides an increase in rooms and facilities, while keeping a ready eye on the potential for most any type of disaster Tampa could face.
For most patients, the hospital can now offer the convenience of 24 hour valet parking and a pager provided upon arrival. Comfortable seating and lounges with wifi greet customers immediately upon arrival. Waiting rooms have great views of Tampa’s waterways, and the waiting room has a beach themed pediatric play and theater area.
Each private room includes a door for privacy, and telephones, washroom, and television for privacy and comfort. The colors and designs continue with a beach and nautical theme, helping to chase away some of the uncomfortable feeling that a hospital visit can provide. Full registration will take place at bedside, rather than a waiting room.
While the appearance seems softer, the preparedness for possible catastrophic events is hard and ready. Formerly on ground level, the new emergency room is now 22 feet above sea level, settling concerns about flooding. The emergency center is almost double the size of the previous facility - six trauma rooms are combined with 66 private treatment rooms. Over 70 different additional locations exist for oxygen and other hookups. Many rooms are equipped with negative pressure facilities to assist in handling infectious diseases or other matter. Every room in the new center has the equipment necessary to handle double the planned patient capacity, and the hospital is now prepared to handle up to 250 patients.
The expansion also includes a doubling of the Aeromed Command Center. With over 2,000 flights per year, the helicopter program operates from three locations - Tampa General, Citrus County, and Sebring. In addition, the parking garage is equipped to quickly turn into a shower area to wash more than 200 patients per hour from hazardous material clean ups and assignment for medical care.
With over 5 years in the design and construction process, a life size 3d model was constructed in order to recreate the feeling of what parts of the facility would look like and to evaluate functionality. 5,000 suggestions of various types were made and incorporated in the final center. The new state of the art equipment is a source of pride among staff and has already been helpful in recruiting new staff members.
Tampa General Hospital treats over 68,000 patients per year, including about 100 major trauma cases each month. As the region’s only level 1 trauma center, Tampa General Hospital has taken a major leap in providing even better patient care with their new expansion. The economic impact of over $200 million in construction and over 200 new jobs is also a significant boost to Tampa.
