Ready for phase II: IU Health Morgan opens new emergency department

The department was phase I of the ongoing $13.5 million renovation at IU Health Morgan. The project began in January and was officially opened for use immediately following the open house.

The new department houses 13 exam rooms, a trauma room and four observation rooms where a patient can stay for up to 23 hours if needed.

IU Health Morgan president Larry Bailey opened up the evening with a welcome and also talked about how much more spacious and comfortable the new area is.

He also said IU Health Morgan is committed to the community and will continue to stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We’ll be able to take care of the same number of patients and our nurses, doctors and staff won’t be falling over each other because we now have the appropriate number of rooms, larger hallways and work areas for the staff,” Bailey said. “When the whole project is done in a few months, we’ll be even bigger, even better and even nicer. You’ll be in good hands whenever you come to our emergency department and now we have the rooms and facilities to take care of patients in the best way possible. We are very proud about it.”

Dr. Rocky Singh, medical director for the emergency department, spoke about the previous experiences they were having in the old department, with guests coming in and saying how they had no room to sit in the areas. He said he is grateful for the changes IU Health Morgan has made.

“When IU Health came in, they gave us a promise of exceptional care of the community . . . We always want to provide great care, the nurses and physicians have always put in their heart to make that happen, but now we have the facility to really give that care,” Singh said.

The new area is double the size of the previous emergency department, which will help reduce the stress of both the patients and nurses, according to registered nurse Cindy Bowman. Bowman said there was a lack of privacy within the old department.

“In the previous ER, we had curtains to pull open and close between patients and that was it,” Bowman said. “So, from a patient’s standpoint, they get a lot of privacy here whereas in the other area you could hear everything going on on the other side of the curtain.”

The staff also had a lack of privacy and space as well. Bowman said it was “so cluttered with everyone bumping into each other.” It was also rather difficult to make phone calls concerning patients or other work matters at the nurse station when two other nurses might be trying to make a call in the same location as well.

“This is just overall going to make things happen more efficiently,” she said.

Bowman said the new location being right by the chapel is extremely beneficial for cases where they may need to take the families out of the room and talk to them in private, something they did not have the opportunity or ability to do in the old emergency department.

“The code, or resuscitation, room is also really nice because it’s right there when the patients come in and it’s away from everyone else,” Bowman said. “Back in the old room you were just right there where everyone could see you, so again it’s another great privacy thing.”