KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The East Tennessee Children's Hospital is showing off its new emergency department after a multimillion-dollar renovation wrapped up on Monday.
Officials with the hospital said that the renovations is partially funded by the Pilot Company and the Haslam family, who donated $5 million. Construction on the renovations started in September 2019 with plans to increase the department's efficiency and patient flow.
It now has dedicated trauma rooms to provide immediate care for people who need it, along with exam rooms that give patients more privacy. There are also sensory-sensitive rooms for patients who may not be able to tolerate the usual noise of an emergency department.
The hospital's ambulance bay was also relocated and they built separate patient intake and exit areas, helping guide people through the hospital more efficiently.
In total, the project cost $14 million. Officials said that the community donated $10 million in total to help improve the hospital. The new department has 38 rooms with 120 staff members working in it, including 28 doctors and 62 nurses.
More than 60,000 injured and sick children get emergency care at East Tennessee Children's Hospital per year, according to a release from officials.
"The emergency center here allows our team, with the investment that we’ve made, to reduce anxiety from the minute they walk through the door," said Matt Schaefer, the President of the hospital. "There’s natural light that permeates the waiting room. There’s space to be able to separate yourself from other families who may be seeking care. You get to be taken back very quickly into a child-friendly environment, where you have color, where you have staff that are trained to take care of kids each and every moment, and that’s their passion. That’s why they are here."