Allina expands WestHealth Services
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. 01/12/2012--Allina Hospitals & Clinics announced today that it is making a significant investment in WestHealth with the addition of an emergency department that will be staffed 24/7 with emergency room physicians affiliated with Abbott Northwestern Hospital.
The emergency department at WestHealth, scheduled to open this year, will be staffed by emergency room physicians affiliated with Abbott Northwestern Hospital.
This is part of a planned multi-year development that was launched in the mid 1990s. Future service expansion will also include a transitional care unit to serve patients in the community in lower cost settings than a traditional hospital.
Once this project is completed, WestHealth – with its spectrum of primary care, pharmacy, outpatient surgery, imaging, specialty care, urgent and emergency care – will be positioned to meet the full continuum of patient and community needs with the goal of avoiding hospitalization wherever possible. This is part of Allina's strategy to provide care closer to home and at lower cost.
"This will be the outpatient health care campus of the future and another step toward Allina's commitment to achieving the Triple Aim of lower costs, higher quality and improved patient experience," said Ben Bache-Wiig, MD, president of Abbott Northwestern Hospital.
"Not only will west metro residents have convenient access to additional health and wellness services at WestHealth, I think patients will like the efficiency and other advantages of being part of Allina's electronic health record," Bache-Wiig said.
The Emergency Department will be an 18,000 square-foot building adjacent and attached to the 180,000 square-foot campus. Allina officials expect to be able to break ground in February and complete the project before the end of 2012.
"We are proud to have an innovative facility like WestHealth in Plymouth and welcome Allina's continued commitment to our community with this latest expansion of health care services," said Kelli Slavik, mayor of Plymouth.
The original design and planning for West Health anticipated several stages of development to create a health and wellness campus. The first building was constructed in 1994. Phase 2—housing expanded clinical services—was completed in 1998.
The Emergency Department constitutes Phase 3 and is rapidly progressing through the permitting and design phase. Allina is working with BWBR Architects and Mortenson Construction.
About WestHealth
Located at Interstate 494 and Highway 55 (Olson Memorial Highway), WestHealth serves more than 1,000 patients each day. WestHealth is part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a not-for-profit system of hospitals, clinics and other health care services, providing care throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. # # #
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