Crouse Hospital cut the ribbon on a new ER welcome area and waiting room. The Rapid Evaluation Unit within the Emergency Services Department assesses patient’s needs to get them the help they need fast. Dr. Kevin Stimson says the new check-in desk will reduce wait times.
“So, we see everyone that walks in and comes right to the ER. We see them quickly, evaluate them, triage them. We see both the emergencies and the less urgent medical conditions.”
The redesigned Crouse ER also renovated triage rooms. CEO Seth Kronenberg says the new design emphasizes the hospital’s goal as a regional medical center with a community feel.
“We wanted you to walk in and not feel like you were coming into an emergency room. The patient experience is critical to everything we do. We wanted a nice welcoming, family environment to be able to couple that with those tremendous quality scores and short wait times.”
Kronenberg says the ER allows the community to also access more medical care and will continue to decrease wait times. He says a new enhanced security screening system is also installed at the main entrance to keep workers, patients and families safe. They served more than 58,000 patients in 2023. The new ER welcome center at Crouse was entirely funded by a $1 million dollar federal grant secured by Senator Chuck Schumer.