The Emergency Department at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital

For tens of thousands of people in Louisville, the Emergency Department at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital is a critical safety net that makes a life and death difference every day.

In fact, the hospital’s expert emergency team saw more than 45,000 patients last year—making it one of the busiest Emergency Departments in the city. That’s because Sts. Mary & Elizabeth is now the only acute care hospital serving the people of South Louisville, an area with a population upwards of 176,000 people.  

“We’ve made a lasting commitment to serve the medical needs of residents in this community,” said hospital President & CEO Tom Gessel. “It goes to the very core of our mission and what our facility represents.”

But there are signs of stress. About 70 percent of all patients admitted to Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital come first through the Emergency Department, compared to a national average of about 45%.  Yet the current facility was built for half the current patient volume, stretching the resources of the hospital well beyond its capacity. As a result, the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation is working to secure philanthropic funding to execute a major renovation of the space, improving privacy and the ability of the staff to effectively deliver great patient care. 

A 21st Century Hospital

Sts. Mary & Elizabeth is striving for dramatic improvements in the safety, comfort, and satisfaction of patients, families and caregivers—to exemplify a “21st Century Hospital.” 

To achieve this goal, the Emergency Department Project calls for a dramatic redesign of the entire facility footprint and growth from 19 beds to 24 plus 10 adjacent CliniCare rooms. Curtained cubicles will be replaced with modular walls, providing much improved privacy.

Technology will be placed at the bedside to enhance both the patient experience and the speed with which care is delivered and documented. The new space will also feature a dedicated pediatric treatment room, decontamination suite, isolation room, grieving/consultation room, and two trauma bays. And by improving the overall workflow, we will decrease the amount of time that patients wait for a bed.  

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Key Statistics

• Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital is the only acute care hospital serving residents west of I-65.  It is an important safety net for individuals and businesses in Southwest Jefferson County, including the area’s extensive production, logistics and industrial base
• 54% of patients treated in the Emergency Department are indigent, qualifying for Medicaid or charity care.
• 58% of patients treated are female; 42% are male.
• The hospital is serving a rapidly growing immigrant population. South Louisville has become home to thousands of refugees and immigrants from countries around the world. With some of the city's most affordable non-subsidized housing, the nearby Americana Apartment Complex is Louisville's largest refugee resettlement, creating the city’s highest concentration of varied ethnic groups speaking 28 different languages. Almost 52% of children at the complex live in poverty with average income of $10,000. This ethnic and economic diversity presents a wealth of challenges for the community and health and human services providers such as Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital.

The goal is to secure contributions totaling $5.5 million to make this project a reality.
Please make your donation today by clicking here.