Trinity Health has vowed to transform healthcare delivery at its new healthcare campus and medical district. A key component of that endeavor will surely be taking emergency care to a whole new level.

Trinity’s leadership and planners have designed an acute care platform that places emergency and transport services away from all congestion in a layout that is most conducive to patient comfort and privacy. Services needed for an efficient diagnosis will be mere steps away.

“The flow in this facility will be truly phenomenal,” said Facilities Vice President Dave Kohlman. “A patient will come into the ER on their own or by helicopter or ground ambulance. The cath lab, surgery and all imaging and diagnostic services will be right there. Everything is very close together.”

One of the most exciting features of the new emergency/trauma center is the expanded emergency department. Three years after operating at overload capacity during successive waves of COVID-19, emergency staff will have 27 treatment rooms to welcome patients, up from the present 13. Treatment rooms will be private – a departure from the curtained bays in the existing ER. “Our new emergency department will allow us to treat the emergency medical needs of our community while maximizing privacy and minimizing wait times,” said nurse manager Susann Krueger.

Another major improvement will be smooth and efficient access for emergency transport – both ground and air. A dedicated ramp will guide ground ambulance vehicles into the enclosed ambulance bay entrance equipped with electronic doors. Patients will be unloaded away from traffic bottlenecks and inclement weather.

“It’ll be a game changer,” said Amy Thomas, director of Trinity Health First Response. “The ambulance bay holds four large ambulance vehicles, and we won’t have to compete with other vehicles for parking as we do now. The helicopter will be able to land on the same level as the ER, so we won’t have to land on the roof and make our way down the elevator. That alone will cut transfer time down to a minute or less.”

And it won’t be just emergency vehicles that have easy access. Dropping off friends or loved ones will be a breeze, according to Kohlman. “If you’re taking your husband or wife to the ER, you’ll drive up the ramp and pull up to the entrance underneath a canopy out of the weather. The door is on the south side so the prevailing northwest winds won’t affect you. You can then park along the outside perimeter or drive back down to park and take a special elevator that goes directly up to the emergency department.”

Family members who want to wait for their loved ones will be able to stroll down a naturally lit walkway to the main public entrance where cafeteria, gift shop and other amenities are located.

When you have a medical emergency, your life can depend on getting to the best emergency center as quickly as possible. Trinity Health’s new healthcare campus will be a win for healthcare quality and accessibility that will better serve the needs of Minot and the region at large.