A major expansion is coming to Nebraska Medicine's emergency department, including more patient rooms and upgrades to critical care.
The hospital will be able to accommodate 10,000 more patients per year when it's complete.
Work could start next week.
2016 brought 58,000 patients to Nebraska Medicine's emergency room, it's capacity is 60,000.
"Planning for the future and not waiting until we're overwhelmed with patients is the right thing to do,” said Emergency Room Doctor Michael Wadman.
An aging population has a lot to do with busier emergency rooms nationwide, Wadman said.
"Our goal for the future with these expansions is to continue to be at the front end of that problem and making sure that we continue to address it," he said.
The expansion will add two doctors and several nursing staff.
Existing office and conference space will be turned into seven exam rooms and workstations.
"The process of renovations should not impact the current E.D. operations," Wadman said.
The expansion will make sure Nebraska Medicine will continue to serve as one of two main hubs for people across the Omaha area in emergency situations,” Wadman said.
"It sets the tone for their patient experience in Nebraska Medicine and really sets the trajectory for the quality of the care that they receive," he said.
While the hospital is already able to handle the increase in patient volume, the added space will improve quality of care even more,” Wadman said.
"It not only provides for better patient experience, higher quality of care, it reduces the amount of time that they have to wait in the emergency department which is always at the front of our minds."
The expansion is expected to be complete by late May.
Much of this video courtesy Nebraska Medicine.
