LFH acute care center in Grayslake is now open 24/7
Written by Administrator Monday, 31 March 2008 23:12
Lake Forest Hospital's popular acute care center in Grayslake is now open around the clock and hospital officials hope in coming months to get state approval to upgrade the facility to a freestanding emergency center.
On March 1, the hospital announced that its Grayslake Outpatient and Acute Care Center began offering acute care services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The facility, located on state Route 120 west of U.S. Route 45, had previously been open 17 hours a day.
"This is an important first step in our plans to expand services in northwest Lake County," said Lake Forest Hospital President and CEO Thomas McAfee. "Illnesses and injuries happen around the clock, and the expansion of hours will mean a great deal to the families who rely on us in moments of need -- at any time of day."
Demand for service at the Grayslake acute care center has grown significantly over the past year and hospital officials expect to see more patients now that it's open 24 hours.
"Many days over the past couple months we've seen more patients at the acute care center in Grayslake than have come in to the main emergency room (at Lake Forest Hospital)," said Jack Franaszek, medical director of emergency services for the hospital and acute care center. "It's not unusual to see 120 to 126 patients in a day."
The acute care center treats patients suffering from conditions such as sore throat, fever, ear ache, cough, cuts, scrapes, sprains and strains, allergic reactions, bug bites and sinus infections.
The hospital also has applied to the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board for state approval to upgrade the Grayslake facility into a freestanding emergency center. With state approval, the facility would be able to accept "basic life support" ambulances for patients with non-trauma emergency needs such as broken bones or asthma attacks and offer enhanced emergency services.
"We were beginning to see increased demand in this area as the county as grown. The movement to 24 hours was a good step toward our ultimate goal of making that center a freestanding emergency center. Right now, we're able to assist patients who walk in, but as we move to a freestanding center, we will be able to better serve people who need ambulatory services in that area of the county," said Matt Koschmann, vice president for business development and external affairs at Lake Forest Hospital.
Koschmann said the hospital hopes the state will approve its plans by late spring or summer and have the freestanding emergency center operational by the fall.
The hospital also has plans to install a helipad on the Grayslake campus to allow for helicopter transports of severe trauma and critical care patients. The Grayslake Village Board unanimously approved plans for the helipad last week and the hospital is awaiting final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Koschmann said the helipad with provide "a safe and designated place" for emergency helicopters to land if there's an accident in the area and they need to transport a patient to a Level 1 trauma or burn center.
"The village has given our approval for the helicopter pad and they also have our support in their plans to become a 24-hour freestanding emergency center," said Grayslake Mayor Tim Perry.