The Emergency Department at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is a 52,000-square-foot facility with a total of 70 beds, divided into five patient care pods, where specialized care is provided. Each pod is complete with its own nursing station, improving communication between caregivers, physicians and family members.
With the oldest academic emergency medicine residency program in the St. Louis area, Washington University physicians provide expert training to support the future needs of our community. The following features make the Emergency Department more comfortable for patients and family:
- The Emergency Department was built to exceed the standards for earthquake safety and is designed to be functional after an earthquake.
- Decontamination units, both inside and outside, with separate septic systems are available for biological or chemical decontamination needs.
- Non-emergent ambulance traffic accesses the building through the new sub-surface garage, eliminating ambulance-parking issues.
- A larger, covered ambulance bay increases patient privacy while easing EMS congestion.
- Convenient patient/visitor parking is available in the subsurface garage directly beneath the building.
- Computerized triage, tracking, order entry and documentation systems allow for an efficient flow of information.