Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, La., is opening an emergency room in north Baton Rouge, an area that has spent several years without emergency care options, according to the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report.
Though the 8,000-square-foot, freestanding emergency room will not treat patients with the most severe emergencies, it is expected to provide needed healthcare access to north Baton Rouge, which has not had an ER since Earl K. Long Charity Hospital closed in 2013.
The hospital's main ER treats approximately 30,000 patients from north Baton Rouge per year, said Scott Wester, CEO of OLOL.
The new facility will complement the adjacent primary care and urgent care clinics, Mr. Wester said. Last year, the urgent care clinic treated nearly 40,000 patients.
The ER will operate around the clock, have eight treatment rooms capable of flexing up to 11 spaces, and have a full-service lab and pharmacy, according to a separate article in the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report.
The state of Louisiana funded $5.5 million toward the ER development, which is scheduled to open tomorrow.