Image is Everything

When you have the busiest emergency department in the entire Portland-metro area, there is bound to be some wear and tear on anything from medical equipment to waiting room furniture. And with more than 78,000 patients coming through Southwest's ED each year, it's critical to keep operations running in tip-top shape.

As part of Southwest's continuing effort to revitalize existing areas of the hospital, the ED got a fresh look last fall and an additional 2,000 square feet of space to create a larger waiting area for patients and families, a new nursing station, a third triage area, and space for registration and security.

The ED is one of several departments on the hospital campus and at various offsite clinics to undergo some level of remodeling for the sake of appearances and improving workflow. Over the past year, Southwest has taken on as many as 37 renewal projects, with another 36 planned in the next year at a total cost of more than $21 million.

The desire to create clean and comfortable spaces for patients and visitors is just part of the reason for the renewal efforts at Southwest. It's also an opportunity to enhance patient care by maximizing the hospital's advanced technological capabilities. For the benefit of critically ill or injured patients, Southwest's ED is now right next door to some of the most advanced imaging equipment in the region. With a cutting edge 64-slice computerized tomography (CT) scanner, an ultrasound room, and two conventional radiology reading rooms right next door, critically ill or injured patients are diagnosed in record time.

Southwest is also the proud new owner of a Magnetom Avanto Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine by Siemens. This piece of equipment is light years ahead of its predecessors for image quality and comfort.  Patients appreciate the machine's design, which reduces noise levels during treatment by up to 97%. The wide tube design also helps to reduce risk of claustrophobia. For physicians, this new tool delivers an outstanding level of imaging clarity and speed previously unavailable in other models. No more blurry pictures of the heart in motion-this MRI can capture images between beats.

As we build on the momentum of the past year, Southwest is preparing to launch a number of high-profile projects in 2007. Stay tuned to see what's next for the future health of our community as Southwest continues its commitment to delivering the finest medical services right here at home.