Sneak-peek of Baystate's new ER

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A new $45 million Emergency and Trauma Center has just been completed at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield . This is a change that has been needed for quite some time.

Baystate Health's President and CEO, Mark Tolosky, told 22News that for years doctors and patients have been dealing with overcrowding issues--something this project would help resolve. "We were supposed to do this as part of a later phase in our overall big project. But our community spoke to us and said, 'we need a new emergency department and trauma center now'; and we stepped-up to the plate and made the decision about 18 months ago", said Tolosky.

The new facility measures in at 73,000 square-feet and is more than three times the size of the hospital's current emergency department. This upgrade includes 94 rooms, compared to the old department which only had 48. Also featured are: separate adult and pediatric care areas and trauma entrances, state-of-the-art imaging rooms, individual treatment bays, and a new helipad on the roof that leads directly down to the trauma unit.

"Our employees have been looking for this for an awfully long time. We've been working in cramped conditions. 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 Medical Center.

A special dedication ceremony was held Friday morning for the new facility--which will open its doors to its first patients on Monday at 7:30 AM