8/7/2009

Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital Temporary Closing Update

(Louisville, KY)  Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital (SMEH) officials are optimistic about opening additional services at the hospital for the more than 177,000 people in south Louisville. As damages are assessed, the facility has been able to open some services.  A phone number has been established where community members can call for updates as they become available – 502-407-3069.

Now open:
Sleep Center 502-554-3537 (temporary number)
Wound Healing Center 502-439-7275 (temporary number)
Frazier Rehab Institute at SMEH 502-439-9585 (temporary number)

Opening on Monday, August 10:

SMEH Surgery Center (outpatient surgery) 502-366-9525
Diabetes Education Center at SMEH Plaza I, Suite 202B.
Classes are as follows:
Mondays from 5-7:30 p.m.
Tuesdays from 9-11:30 a.m.

“Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital has been providing health care to the community for more than 130 years for the residents of south Louisville,” said Tom Gessel, president and CEO.  “We have survived a flood before and will do so again. Our team is working around the clock to open all services in the hospital.  Our immediate goal is to have the emergency department up and running soon.  We have the second busiest emergency department in the city. The laboratory and radiology also provide support to this department, and are a priority as well.”

Last year SMEH provided treatment for nearly 45,000 patients in the emergency department, more than 12,000 inpatients and performed more than 10,200 surgeries.

SMEH team members and physicians continue to provide support elsewhere in the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare system where patients were transferred, primarily to Jewish Hospital and Jewish Hospital Medical Center Southwest.

With the temporary closure of SMEH Emergency Room, Southern Emergency Medical Specialists, the emergency medical physicians group supporting Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, will now be working alongside Team Health Physicians at Jewish Hospital Medical Center Southwest to provide increased coverage and care to South Louisville.
 
In addition, Jewish Hospital has opened up several new beds and units to receive patients.  Many of the SMEH physicians, nurses, and clinical staff are working on site at Jewish Hospital to care for the transferred patients.

Debris removal has begun in the basement of the hospital. Multiple electrical contractors are on site and emergency generators continue to provide power to select parts of the hospital.

Information can be found by visiting jhsmh.org/smehupdates, as well as through our facebook page (facebook.com/jewishhospital) and twitter.com/jewishhospital. 

ABOUT STS. MARY & ELIZABETH HOSPITAL
Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, is a 331-bed primary care hospital offering advanced treatment in cancer, cardiac care, lung disease, orthopaedics, vascular and general surgery and emergency services. Serving the south Louisville community for more than a century, Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital has literally cared for generations of families in this community. And our network of care is more than 30 facilities strong. One-hundred thirty-one years. Thousands of needs, millions of blessings. That is our history and the future.