Bon Secours announced the official start of construction for a new 45,000 square foot emergency department (ED) today at a groundbreaking ceremony at Bon Secours St. Francis Downtown.

The hospital received a certificate of need for the $41 million project in August 2018. The construction – which is part renovation and part new construction – will relocate the ED and quintuple the unit’s current space.

“Our campus receives approximately 50,000 emergency department visits annually. The new facility will increase our capacity from 18 to 42 rooms, which will provide the additional space we need to care for our patients,” said Greta Gue, administrative director of critical care and emergency services for Bon Secours. “Additionally, the city of Greenville is growing at a rapid pace. This expansion will allow Bon Secours to grow along with and care for our community, as the number of people needing our emergency services increases.”

The new emergency department will accommodate 75,000 visits annually. The expansion will encompass the ability for the hospital to potentially expand vertically, if necessary. This potential ensures the hospital maintains options to continue to expand and grow, as necessary.

“Our Bon Secours team of doctors, physicians and clinical staff does a phenomenal job with the volume we’re already seeing, and this expansion only going to make our emergency care even better for our patients,” continued Gue.

The ED is designed to provide the most efficient and personalized emergency care for all types of patients. It will house:

  • “Fast-track” rooms to separate less acute care cases from higher acuity emergencies, ensuring patients can be cared for and discharged at the appropriate rate
  • Holding rooms for patients waiting on results from laboratory work
  • Senior-friendly services, such as large lettering, bright lights and neutral colors
  • Behavioral health rooms for mental health emergencies
  • New equipment to allow labs and radiology to be completed in the ED, providing faster turnaround times

Patients and visitors may notice some changes to traffic flow in certain areas of the hospital campus. The Andrews Street exit for the roundabout in front of the hospital’s Southside entrance will close for traffic flow reasons.

 “We’ve reconfigured traffic flow to provide better access for patients both during construction and when the project is complete. Visitors can expect to find new, separate entrances for both patients and ambulances, as well as additional parking right in front of the ED,” said Jenny Wehrs, vice president of operations for Bon Secours.

The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2021.