Shelby Baptist Medical Center opens women’s center, emergency department

Residents of Shelby County are receiving a new level of health care from their local Baptist hospital.
Shelby Baptist Medical Center in Alabaster celebrated the opening of its relocated emergency department and expanded women’s center July 18.
   
The multimillion-dollar emergency-department construction project moved Shelby Baptist’s emergency entrance to the front of the hospital for greater patient service and convenience and will provide more space for patient care.
   
“Our goal is for those who walk through the doors of the new Shelby Baptist [emergency department] to enter a comfortable, faith-based, caring environment which offers privacy, state-of-the-art technology and quality caregivers to patients and families during their time of emergent medical need,” said Dr. Everitt Simmons, Shelby Baptist emergency director.
   
The department increased the number of exam rooms and made all of them private. The new area has seven trauma bays, including two that can be accessed from the exterior of the facility in the event of chemical or biohazard contamination. Other amenities include a larger, hotel-like emergency entrance and waiting area for family and visitors, increased triage areas, new registration area, dedicated family consultation area and new ambulance entrance. 
   
Shelby Baptist, which is owned by Baptist Health System (BHS) in Birmingham, treated more than 40,000 emergency patients last year, making it the second-busiest emergency department in Birmingham, according to the hospital’s Web page.
   
“We have had a critical need for expansion for a long time,” said David C. Wilson, Shelby Baptist president. “The relocation and expansion of our emergency department and building of our new women’s center are part of the first phase of a multiyear master plan to continually improve our services and facilities for the benefit of the community.”
   
The multimillion-dollar women’s center expansion increased the number of birthing rooms to 14 and decorated them with cherry furniture, artwork and tiled bathrooms. The well-baby nursery, nursing stations and waiting area were also redesigned.
   
Shelby Baptist also recently installed an advanced MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) system. The Siemens 3Tesia MRI system with Tim™ (Total imaging matrix) technology increases image resolution and improves patient comfort. It is suited for clinical and research MRI of all organs and body regions including abdominal, cardiac, spine and orthopedic MRI. (TAB)