DRAPER — The first satellite emergency department in Utah, St. Mark's Hospital Lone Peak Emergency Center, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony witnessed by more than 500 attendees Tuesday.
The new emergency department in Draper, which started treating patients the evening of May 25, isn't attached to a hospital, but it is equipped to treat broken bones, heart attacks, deep cuts and more.
It is a fully accredited emergency department and imaging center with a CT scanner, an MRI, X-ray equipment and ultrasound diagnostic testing.
Patients can either transport themselves or arrive by ambulance or helicopter.
The new building has a trauma-care room, seven primary-care rooms, a decontamination room for patients who have been exposed to toxic substances, a psychiatric room with walls that come down and cover equipment to keep the patient safe, a laboratory with a blood bank and a disaster/emergency response trailer and team.
Dr. Julie Fox, the medical director of emergency services for St. Mark's Hospital, said they anticipate people from south valley communities will come to the new 24-hour emergency department instead of driving the extra 12 miles to St. Mark's Hospital. Eric Sanstrom, the assistant chief of Unified Fire Authority, said he looks forward to being able to bring patients to the Lone Peak Emergency Center and then return to service more quickly.
Mary Joe Jones, the chief clinical officer and chief nursing officer for St. Mark's Hospital, said this emergency care facility is basically an extension of St. Mark's Hospital.
Patients can come to Lone Peak Emergency Center and get the same treatment they would from a regular emergency room. Fox said she figures 90 percent of the people who come will receive treatment and go home. If someone needs to be admitted to a hospital, they will be rapidly transferred to the medical facility of their choice.
"Right now, for the community of Draper, this meets their medical needs," Fox said. "Eventually, with all the population moving south, they will need a hospital here. But right now, this is a good start."
In the next five years, the goal is to build a hospital that will be attached to the emergency department and imaging center located on 40 acres at 11800 S. State, Jones said.
e-mail: apierce@desnews.com