HMHP to hold open house at new emergency room

AUSTINTOWN -- Humility of Mary Health Partners is celebrating the opening of its $1.8 million, 24-hour St. Elizabeth Emergency and Diagnostic Center at 6252 Mahoning Ave. with a public open house from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
The 11,000-square-foot facility will begin receiving patients with emergency care needs and for outpatient diagnostic testing Nov. 1, hospital officials said. The emergency center has been built and equipped to handle all types of emergency situations, including specialties such as pediatrics, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, critical care, and eye, ear, nose and throat, said Robert Shroder, president and chief executive officer of HMHP.
The center will offer laboratory and general radiology services immediately, and MRI -- magnetic resonance imaging -- and diagnostic ultrasound equipment will be added in 2005. The use of digital radiology equipment results in shorter exam times for patients and clearer, sharper images for diagnostic purposes, officials said.
In addition, the new emergency center will guarantee that all patients will be seen by a doctor within 30 minutes of the time they check in. If the staff fails to meet that guarantee, the patient will be offered his or her choice of a gift card or a donation made in the patient's name to one of several local charities.