Memorial Health University Medical Center is moving forward with plans to expand its emergency room facility.
The Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission recommended approval for a zoning change and blessed an amended general development plan for the hospital campus during a Tuesday meeting.
The ER expansion was one of four building improvements listed in the petition. Other additions were a new outpatient surgical facility and classrooms at the Hoskins Cancer Research center.
“The plan is to move ahead with the ER,” said Ryan Thompson, a landscape architect with Thomas & Hutton Engineering who represented Memorial at the meeting. “The other aspects are long-range plans. We figured we’d go ahead and include the rest to take advantage of going before the board for the emergency room expansion.”
The improvements are part of a $40 million plan announced late last year. Memorial Health CEO Maggie Gill first outlined the project to the Chatham County Commission on Dec. 6, 2012.
The emergency room expansion is the most pressing need. Memorial’s ER sees approximately 100,000 patients annually, and the existing space is built to accommodate 45,000 visits. Memorial’s ER is the region’s only Level One Trauma Center, providing care for severely injured patients 24 hours a day.
The improvements will almost double the size of the emergency facility. It will grow from 45 treatment areas to 75.
“It’s all about the community, saving lives and taking care of patients,” Gill said during the presentation to the county commission.
Memorial still must submit a general site plan for the emergency room project for MPC review before construction can begin.