Somerset Medical Center Holds Open House for New Emergency Department

SOMERSET MEDICAL CENTER HOLDS OPEN HOUSE FOR NEW EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT ON DEC. 29

SOMERVILLE, NJ, Dec. 21, 2004 – Somerset Medical Center invites the community to an open house for its new emergency department on Wednesday, Dec. 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Visitors will be able to tour all areas of the state-of-the-art 40,000 square-foot facility, including a 14-bed fast-track area for patients with non-life-threatening illnesses; special rooms for pediatric, cardiac and orthopedic patients; on-site radiology and laboratory equipment to facilitate faster test results; psychiatric emergency screening services and isolation rooms.

In addition, the open house will feature interactive health education displays, clowns and tours of one of the medical center’s Mobile Intensive Care Units. The first 100 children under the age of 12 will receive a free teddy bear with a Somerset Medical Center T-shirt. The first 100 adults will receive a free first aid kit. Other giveaways and raffles will be held throughout the day.  Light refreshments will be served.

A special ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. At this time, the medical center will also recognize the winners of its children’s poster contest held in conjunction with the emergency department opening.  The winning posters by children in Kindergarten through Grade 5 will be displayed in the emergency department lobby.

The emergency department will begin treating patients on Monday, Jan. 3. The facility is part of the medical center’s $100 million expansion project – the largest in its 105-year history – which also includes a new 50-room inpatient pavilion and seven new operating suites, which will open in early 2005, and a new 596-space parking deck which opened in July. The project is supported by the Somerset Medical Center Foundation’s $20 million “Breaking New Ground” capital campaign. For updates on the medical center’s expansion plan or the “Breaking New Ground” campaign, visit www.somersetmedicalcenter.com.