Samaritan Medical Center to Reopen Renovated Emergency Department Entrance, Temporarily Close Main Entrance

Published on: April 16, 2020

WATERTOWN, NY – Samaritan Medical Center’s Emergency Department (ED) entrance, which has been closed for renovations since late January, will reopen this Friday, April 17, at 7:00 a.m.

At the same time, the hospital’s main entrance, which served as the ED entrance during renovations, will temporarily close. Patients seeking emergency care should use the reopened ED entrance, and all non-emergency patients should enter at Main Registration. Obstetric patients should use the dedicated entrance to Samaritan’s Car-Freshner Center for Women and Children, located off of Sherman Street.

Upgrades to the ED’s waiting room intake and triage check-in areas will improve patient privacy and enhance the waiting space for the more than 48,000 patients who seek treatment at the ED in a typical year.

The renovated space includes private intake areas complete with a door for patient privacy, updated fixtures, a new security station, and improved waiting area space for patients and their families. In addition, the heating and cooling system in this area has been upgraded, adding negative pressure to help with infection prevention.

“The new space will give patients in the Emergency Department more privacy and comfort while optimizing the intake and triage processes to shorten wait times,” said Kim Thibert, Samaritan’s Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer. “These renovations were made with patient feedback in mind, and we are very pleased to have completed them two weeks ahead of schedule.”

Additional information for patients:
Emergency Departments are best for emergency situations. If you have a life-threatening condition, go straight to your nearest ED. Such conditions include:

• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing or extreme chest pain
• Stroke
• Head injuries
• Severe bleeding
• Loss of vision
• Drug overdose
• Seizures
• Severe cuts or burns
• Sudden dizziness or numbness
• Severe allergic reactions

Deciding between urgent care or the ED depends on the severity of the health problem. If the condition is life-threatening, go to an ED by calling 911 or be brought in to be seen.