Share: 
Celebrate Excellent Care

Beebe Emergency Department continues to evolve

Beach Bash set June 3
May 17, 2017

Beebe Healthcare provides emergency medical care through its Emergency Department at the main campus at 424 Savannah Road in Lewes. The ED is open year-round, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the treatment of emergencies and other serious illnesses.

Since its beginning, Beebe has had a history of expansion and growth. Let's explore the evolution of Beebe's Emergency Department and the day-to-day operation of this important part of our healthcare community.

Beebe has been the destination for emergency treatment since it opened in 1916. In the early 1980s, the community of coastal Sussex, which surrounds Beebe Hospital, was still in its infancy. Transportation to and from the hospital was often quite difficult, so Beebe Hospital opened a summertime Emergency Room in 1981 in the resort town of Bethany Beach. This was the only freestanding seasonal emergency facility in Delaware, and it was badly needed as our community began to grow.

In 1985, Beebe added its five-story Rollins Wing at the Lewes campus, named for John W. Rollins, which included, among other things, the expansion of diagnostic imaging and emergency services. In 1999, Beebe expanded the Lewes Emergency Department from 13 to 19 beds, and in 2008 the Hudson Wing opened, expanding the Emergency Department to 37 beds.

More than 50,000 patients visit Beebe's Emergency Department every year. By definition, an emergency situation is unexpected. The patients who occupy the Emergency Department's 37 beds during a typical 24-hour period didn't expect a sudden need for medical attention. Many of those patients have been involved in a recreational, workplace, or highway accident. Some experience potentially life-threatening symptoms; others have conditions that demand attention before their regular physicians can see them. And, a number of patients simply have nowhere else to turn for medical care.

"A History of Caring" is how Delaware Gov. Russell Peterson described Dr. James Beebe and Dr. Richard C. Beebe when he spoke at an open house at Beebe Hospital in 1970. And this history of caring continues to this day, as clearly evidenced on a daily basis in the Emergency Department through the compassionate and caring delivery of services by the staff.

"Nurses are dedicated to their work and travel long distances from Dover, Wilmington, Middletown, Ocean View and Bethany. Our work is hard, but it's rewarding. We care about what we do, and we're like family," said Susan Bunting, RN, CNIV, charge nurse in the ED. "The culture of family carries over into the treatment of our patients, and they become part of our family."

Determining which patient sees a doctor first is critical and is the job of the triage nurse. Triage is an evaluation by a nurse that helps determine the seriousness of the patient's illness or injury. While waiting cannot be eliminated entirely, the Emergency Department staff hopes improved communication will make any waiting time more tolerable. Currently the average "door to doctor" wait time is 35 minutes.

As Clinical Nurse Tiffany Travis says, "We are constantly figuring out ways to be creative and reduce the time it takes for patients to be seen."

Visiting an Emergency Room can be traumatic not only for the patient but for the family as well. A Beebe staff member is available as a liaison to patients, bringing frequent updates to the family on how cases are progressing and providing an estimate of how much longer individuals must wait. And, the treatment area has an open environment so a family member or friend can accompany a patient into the ED if they choose, which can ease anxiety for everyone involved.

As the population of southern Delaware has grown, Beebe has expanded its services to meet the needs of our community and now operates Walk-In Care locations on Route 24 in Rehoboth Beach, the Georgetown Health Campus, Millsboro and Millville, which offer satellite imaging, physical rehabilitation and lab services. "The walk-ins have helped us tremendously," says Sue Ann Newsham, Emergency Department nurse manager. "Four or five years ago we were seeing patients in the Emergency Department who now go to the walk-ins; this frees up space in our ED for us to treat more high-acuity patients."

Walk-In Care centers do not replace your primary care physician, and information from visits to the Walk-In Care can be forwarded to your physician with your permission. Walk-In Care offers treatment for ailments such as upper respiratory infections, sore throats, sinus infections, flu, laryngitis, allergies, ear, eye, and bladder infections, sprains and minor injuries, gastrointestinal complaints, skin problems such as minor rashes and burns, headaches, minor cuts and simple lacerations, and some limited medication refills.

In the event of a life-threatening illness or accident, you should always call 911. Emergency responders will meet your immediate needs and take you to the appropriate medical facility. Examples of those types of illnesses or injuries for which you should seek immediate medical treatment through 911 or by going to the Emergency Department in Lewes are chest pains or pressure, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, abdominal pain, spine or back injury, broken bones, or severe eye injuries. Elderly residents who fall and hit their heads should come to the ED. If you twist your ankle and can't walk, or have any deep lacerations, you should be seen in the ED.

Beebe's Emergency Department has evolved over the years to become a top-notch Level III Trauma Center in the State of Delaware, and has positioned itself well to provide services to a thriving beach and vacation resort area, and a continually growing year-round population. Beebe Healthcare is very proud of the ED's Customer Satisfaction scores from Press Ganey. Newsham shared the numbers, "We have sustained a score above 90 percent over the last seven months, and the majority of these months have been above 95 percent."

Each year, the Beebe Medical Foundation hosts the biggest party of the summer, the Beebe Beach Bash! Beebe's guests will take over a docked Cape May-Lewes Ferry Saturday, June 3, to enjoy The Fabulous Greaseband, dancing, dining, auctions, and boardwalk games. This year's Beach Bash Saturday, June 3, will raise funds for Beebe Healthcare's Emergency Department. Beebe is committed to providing quality care for patients, and this event will allow the organization to offer the most advanced technology to save and change lives.

For more information on how to join in the fun, go to www.beebemedicalfoundation.org.

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter