Baystate ready to open new emergency and trauma department

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Baystate Medical Center held a special dedication ceremony Friday morning for its new emergency department.

Western Massachusetts' largest hospital is getting ready for the grand opening of the new emergency and trauma department, which will happen Monday at 7:30 A.M.

The new $46-million facility is made-up of 94 rooms, compared to the old department which only had 48. Each unit is geared for a special type of patient.

The new building also has a helipad on the roof, which leads directly to the trauma unit.

"What the new facility does for us is it enhances our capacity tremendously, so that everyone can be provided privacy and a comfortable environment in the emergency department," said Dr. Niels Rathlev of Baystate.

Emergency personnel have been busy training for the big move from the Daly building, which houses the current ER.

22News was there on Thursday as the trauma unit ran several emergency scenarios to help them get used to the new building and equipment. In one scenario, a pregnant woman came in following a car accident.

Baystate trauma surgeon Dr. Reginald Alouidor explained why the test was so important.

"We don't know how our team is going to respond in a new environment. We don't know if they are going to know where to find the equipment that they are used to finding on shelf a that now is not on shelf a but is actually in a different cabinet. We don't know if they equipment is going to run properly, so we are here today to test those things,” Alouidor said.