Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, Calif., which recently recorded 10-hour emergency room wait times, is constructing a $32 million emergency department expansion to address the issue, according to a Visalia Times-Delta report.
"This year we're seeing an increase in the census because it's an early flu season," said Dan Allain, FNP, assistant chief nursing officer. "We're testing positive about 20 to 30 cases a week."
To help meet the needs of the ED staff, Kaweah Delta Hospital District has begun a multi-year expansion. Along with a larger waiting room and lobby area, the new ER will increase from 33 to 74 beds, allowing the ER to accommodate 120,000 patients annually, Mr. Allain said.
The expansion is anticipated to be finished August 2019.