Wayne Memorial to expand emergency wing

By TOM KANE

HONESDALE, PA — Wayne Memorial Hospital (WMH) officials, staff, friends and neighbors gathered on September 30 for a groundbreaking of a new three story, $10 million emergency wing. The new Emergency Room (ER) will be more than double the size of the current room.

“The project will greatly enhance the healthcare services for the community,” said WMH Executive Director David Hoff.

Currently, the emergency room sees about 17,000 patients visits a year.

“The number has been jumping by 400 to 600 visits annually,” Hoff said. “We anticipate 25,000 annual visits in just a few years. With this new ER, we’ll be in a position to meet the demand.”

A new separate entrance will be created and three tiers of windows will face Park Street.

Inside, the ER will include patient and visitor waiting rooms, more private treatment rooms than in the current ER, a large trauma room and two modern isolation rooms.

“We’ll also have X-ray capability so we won’t have to inconvenience patients by moving them to another part of the hospital,” said John Conte, director of facility services.

The hospital plans to install conference and meeting rooms on the second floor and, on the third floor, contingent upon Medicare and other reimbursements, an inpatient rehabilitation unit.

The project is being paid for in part with an $8 million bond issue and a $300,000 federal grant.

“It’s the jewel in a $20 million capital expansion plan expected to take place over the next three to five years,” Hoff said.

Hoff stressed that the hospital needs to grow to meet the demands of the growing community—100,000 people over 1,200 square miles in Wayne and Pike counties, two of the fastest growing counties in Pennsylvania.

The celebration was doubled when it was announced that the WMH Auxiliary pledged $210,000 over the next three years to the hospital’s future needs.