Norwalk reflector, Friday, June 21, 1996, front page:
FTMC unveils state of the art emergency room
Expanded unit is in response to changes in insurance guidelines that make ER one of the hospital's busiest departments. (my Jonathan Rickard, Reflector Staff Writer)
Norwalk - The June E. Weilnau Emergency Department of Fisher Titus Medical Center was dedicated Thursday with a small ceremony, including a ribon cutting by its namesake. Mrs. Weilnau, a retired registered nurse, was head nurse of the Fisher Titus emergency room for more than 25 years, and was a nurse at the hospital for 14 years before that. "For me, she was a wonderful teacher, and excellent nurse and an overall wonderful person. I had big shoes to fill," said Lori Smiley, who once worked under Mrs. Weilnau and took over as head ER Nurse at the end of 1994.
Executive Vice President Pat. Martin said he expects the emergency room staff to "move in" and begin using the new department on Tuesday or Wednesday. Right Now, computers, phones and other equipemnt have yet to be moved.
The $1.6 million addition will double the isze of the old emergency departnetn, built in 1979, from seven to 14 rooms, including four critical care rooms. Floor space will also increse from 2,200 to 6,100 square feet, Martin said. The interior of the buildin alone cost between $200,000 and $ 250,000, he added. Emergency rooms have become among the busier departments in many hospitals with changes in insurance guidelines. "A lot of things that were admitted are no longer admitted. They are treated in the emergency room" Martin Said.
Emergency Room Director Dr. Kris Brickman agreed. "A lot more patients have to be treated on an outpatient basis. Insurance has mandated this...and I feel, justifiably so. A lot of people were being admitted who didn't need to be admitted."
It is for less costly to have a "consultant" come to the ER and decide whether a person needs to be admitted than to admit the person and have the problem diagnosed later, as was once done, Brickman said.
Th expansion is mostly for "better capacity and less waiting time," Brickman said. "We were way too busy for the department we had...we're not going to do all these new, exciting things. We're just going to be able to do it more efficiently," Brickman said.
Aside from the expansion, several modern features have been incorporated into the new department. Each bed has a wide floor to ceiling column next to it. The columns contain electrical connections and other equipment which would ordinarily be mounted on the wall behind a bed. This allows for space behind the patient's head and easier access to that part of the body.
Mobile monitoring equipment has also been purchased, so that patients need not be disconnected if transferred to another part of the hospital. The bed and monitors are simply rolled with them.
Doctors and nurses were consulted on the layout of the departmet. One change, suggested by nurses, was to turn beds around so that the patient's feet do not face the door. This aloows for added privacy in gynecological examinations.
One innovation in constructing involved building walls torest on top of the poured floor, allowing them to be rearranged if necessary without tearing up the floor.
June's first husband was brought to the emergency room when she was on duty. She had to watch helplessly while he died of a massive heart failure.
June Elizabeth Doerner 
