From the Spring 2012 StayHealthy publication
If you thought moving into a new home or apartment is complicated, imagine moving an entire hospital...Porter has, and is ready to get moving.
The official move date from the current Porter Hospital in downtown Valparaiso to the new Porter Regional Hospital at US 6 and IN 49 is set for Saturday, August 25. Before such a move of this size and magnitude may take place, there is an incredible amount of planning and coordination that must occur to ensure that every possible detail and outcome is considered and answered. Read on to get a better idea of how Porter will actually move a hospital.
Q: How long will the Valparaiso hospital campus be open after the new hospital begins accepting patients?
A: Officially, we will cease operations at the Valparaiso campus at 6 am on Saturday, August 25 and will be fully operational at Porter Regional Hospital at 6 am on the same day. However, to ensure no gap in care occurs, we will literally be able to provide patient care services at both hospitals until the move is complete. On August 25, patients will start being transported to the new hospital and new patients will no longer be received in the current Emergency Department (ED) after 6 am.
Q: What if someone comes to the existing ED after 6 am?
A: Area ambulance services have been instructed to take patients to Porter Regional Hospital. If a patient comes to the current ED by private transport, their condition will be assessed and they will either be directed to go to the new ED or, if necessary, will be stabilized and transported there by ambulance.
Transporting patients from one location to the other will require a large fleet of ambulances (projected 30-35), and that the vehicles are being brought in from surrounding areas so as not to interfere with the ambulance service in Porter County.
Q: How do you decide the order in which patients are moved?
A: We will move the most ill patients first, and we will make the determination at the latest possible time.
Any lab work needed on a patient must be completed by 4:30 am the day of the move, and all diagnostic tests must be done by 5 am. Doctors will have completed their rounds by 5 am and will establish the patient's condition. Infants in the NICU will be transported in a special ambulance and will be accompanied by either a neonatologist or a neonatal nurse. Mothers and babies not in the NICU will be transported together.
Additionally, all ambulances are equipped with advanced lifesaving equipment.
Visit the Porter Health System website
Valparaiso Campus
814 LaPorte Avenue
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: 219-263-4600
Q: With so many patients being moved on that day, will roads in town be closed?
A: No. We have established several routes from one hospital to the other, which will not only reduce the impact on local traffic, but also it will reduce the potential for an ambulance encountering an accident, a train or other type of traffic-stopping event.
Q: What if a patient is in labor or at the end stages of life on move day?
A: If the mother is in active labor, the physician will determine the best time for the patient to be transported. We will respect the family and the patient with end-of-life issues. We will not cause anyone undue hardship for the sake of efficiency.
The move is a collaborative approach between the medical staff, the executive team and the directors at the hospital, as well as state and local police, fire, Emergency Management Association, and governmental officials. It takes everyone working together to manage the economics, compliance issues, operational risks and, foremost, patient safety for a move of this size.