Doctors Hospital’s front door at 1205 East North Street will serve as the temporary entrance to the emergency room for roughly two months by making use of the main lobby while expansion construction is underway in the ER.
The changes in the emergency room entrance are set to begin next week.  Wheelchairs are already lined up in front of the admitting counter where a medical doctor will be available 24 hours a day.
“From 2012 to 2015 our emergency department visits grew dramatically by 23 percent — an average of 94 patients per day,” Doctors Hospital CEO Ike Mmeje said of the need to expand the emergency room. “I am pleased to share that we have funded approximately $185,000 to expand our emergency department and provide three additional bays for a Rapid Care area.”
He added that emergency treatment is available to all comers including Medicare, Medicaid and traditional insurance covered patients.
While the entrance is expected to be altered for only two months, the project is expected to be completed in its entirety later this fall.
After patients are admitted in the lobby area, they will be escorted back into the emergency department where they will be taken to a triage waiting room before seeing an admitting nurse to determine their priority in being seen by an emergency room doctor and subsequent treatment.
 Emergency Department  Director Brian Beens, RN., “It’s going to be best for patient care in the increased patient volumes  the hospital has been experiencing increasing volumes for the past two years.”
He added that emergency room volumes are increasing at other hospitals as well.
Beens added that patients headed to the ER can also go to the DoctorsManteca.com website to register for quicker registration and keep their waiting time to be seen at a minimum after they arrive at the hospital.

To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com