Lakes Regional Healthcare to Break Ground on New Emergency Department

Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH) has begun construction plans on a new Emergency Department, replacing a facility built in 1993 that no longer accommodates the growth in patient volumes. A public groundbreaking ceremony is being planned for early November.

The current Emergency Department was built to accommodate 6,500 patient visits a year. It now handles nearly 9,000, in eight rooms. The new department will have 12 to 15 rooms, dedicated triage space, private rooms that allow families to be with patients during difficult conversations, and a dedicated space designed for patients with behavioral health needs.

"The building has served this community well for more than 30 years, and it has simply been outgrown," said LRH President and CEO Jason Harrington. "Emergency care is the one service nobody plans for, and it has to be ready when it is needed. That is what we are building."

Site work begins in early October. The project is being built in two phases. Phase one includes construction of the new Emergency Department space and will take approximately 14 months. Phase two includes remodeling of the existing Emergency Department space. The new Emergency Department is expected to be completed in fall 2028.

LRH will remain fully open throughout construction. All services continue as usual, including 24-hour emergency care, clinics, imaging, laboratory, surgery, therapy, and the Birth Center. Patient and visitor parking is not changing.

The most visible change for the public will be the location of ambulance arrivals. The existing ambulance garage will be demolished as part of the project, and ambulances will unload at the front of the building near the main west entrance. Patients arriving by ambulance will enter through the Emergency Department waiting area. Patients who come to the Emergency Department on their own will continue to use the main entrance, door A, throughout the first phase of construction.

In addition, the roadway crossing the hospital property on the south side, primarily used by LRH staff and delivery vehicles, will be closed for most of the duration of the project. Signs on campus will direct patients to parking and to the Emergency Department entrance.

The total project is estimated at $20 million. Nearly 70% of it is secured to fund the project. LRH is contributing $7 million from cash reserves and financing $5 million. The remaining $8 million is being raised through community philanthropy by LRH Foundation, which has secured almost $2 million in gifts and pledges to date.

"Most of what we've received has come from a small number of generous families and businesses. Now we are asking everyone, because a building like this should belong to the whole community," said Sonja Hamm, LRH Vice President of Human and Foundation Resources.

LRH is the primary provider of emergency care in the Iowa Great Lakes region, serving Dickinson County and surrounding communities, along with a seasonal population that increases significantly each summer. Emergency Department visits are projected to reach 13,000 annually by 2040.

The new Emergency Department is the first step in a long-range plan to sustain healthcare in the Iowa Great Lakes. Future plans include improvements to the Physical Therapy, Laboratory, Imaging, and Outpatient Center departments.

Gifts to the project may be made at www.lakeshealth.org/future-emergency-dept, by mail, or by contacting LRH Foundation at 712-336-8791. Gifts of stock, grain, and multi-year pledges are also accepted, and naming opportunities are available.