Doctors Hospital of Manteca staffers were working together Monday to create a smooth transition in moving the emergency room waiting area from the rear of the hospital to the front lobby as part of a nearly $1 million remodeling effort to upgrade the facility.

At 7 a.m. the long recognized front door of the Emergency Department was fenced off and marked with signage directing patients and their families to the front of the hospital where the sick and injured will be triaged as to the seriousness of their conditions before being escorted into one of the 11 ER treatment bays.

Chief Operating Officer Carmen Silva explained that the improvements are being made to the waiting room and registration area, and the triage area, along with the replacing of the current restrooms to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

Removable crowd control barriers will be placed in the hallways with restricted signs to help guide Emergency Department patients to the emergency room during evening and late night hours.  Staff members and Physicians will have easy access to the areas and the barriers will be easily removed, Silva noted in her written explanation.

Additional security guards have been contracted to add a higher level of safety to the hospital during the remodeling in the around the clock operation.

The construction is being done in three phases.   The Emergency Department is to consist of some seats during the first phase.  The ICU waiting area will be reconfigured to allow for more seating and used as an overflow for the waiting Emergency Department patients.

A section of the Emergency Department parking lot is being block for construction during the renovation.  Staff members are being asked not to park on the street near the Emergency Department and by the front of the hospital during the renovation to provide for emergency patient parking.

The ambulance entrance will continue to be located at the rear of the hospital using its long established access to the Emergency Department that offers “call ahead” reservations for faster service.