Nearly 160 Patients Move to the New St. Anthony Hospital

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After nearly two years of logistical planning, St. Anthony Central Hospital will officially move all patients to its new location in Lakewood, Colo., on Fri., June 17 during a day-long marathon of meticulously orchestrated safety measures, ambulance trips and Flight For Life^®Colorado critical care ground transports. At the end of the day, an estimated 160 patients will be comfortably tucked into one of 222 private rooms within the new 560,000-square-foot, state-of-the art hospital.

“We are confident that, with this kind of planning and preparedness, today will go smoothly and all of our patients will be transported comfortably, compassionately and safely.”

The move starts at 7 a.m. with a fleet of four specially contracted ambulance companies transporting patients over a six-mile route from the medical and surgical units of St. Anthony Central Hospital at 4231 W. 16th Avenue in Denver to the new campus at 11600 W. 2nd Place in Lakewood. Meanwhile, medical teams and specialized crews from Flight For Life Colorado, the specialized trauma and critical care ground and air transport service based at St. Anthony Hospital, will manage the relocation of patients from the hospital’s intensive care units.

The move day will be overseen by the hospital’s leadership team, with every patient being monitored as part of a sophisticated plan to track the location of each patient and staff member via the Flight For Life Communications Center. Clinical staff is assigned to each patient and will be with the patient throughout the entire transfer process.

“We have spent nearly 30,000 hours trying to anticipate every possible situation and arrange each detail to safely relocate patients and to provide peace-of-mind for our patients’ loved ones,” said Dr. Ray Mencini, president and interim CEO of St. Anthony Hospital. “We are confident that, with this kind of planning and preparedness, today will go smoothly and all of our patients will be transported comfortably, compassionately and safely.”

The new location for St. Anthony Hospital was carefully chosen and designed over a seven-year period through the collective efforts of St. Anthony Hospital's medical, nursing and management teams and with the support of the surrounding community. The facility was built entirely to meet the needs of patients and their families – from the state-of-the-art equipment to the soothing and light-infused rooms to integrative healing programs – and with a commitment to delivering the most advanced safety features and environmentally friendly operations.

In addition to moving patients, St. Anthony Hospital also opened its Emergency Department to the public as of 12:01 a.m. on June 17. The new Emergency Department is triple the size of the previous location with 36 private rooms, additional waiting and consulting space for family comfort and privacy, new safety features for staff and patients, bedside testing with a dedicated laboratory and the most advanced health care technology.

With the Emergency Department open, all patients safely relocated and the remainder of medical equipment moved throughout the weekend, the new St. Anthony Hospital will be fully open and operational on Mon., June 20, 2011.

St. Anthony Hospital is nationally recognized for its renowned programs in trauma, cardiovascular services, oncology, neurosciences and orthopedics. St. Anthony Hospital’s expert team of physicians, nurses and other caregivers provide unparalleled medical care for patients and access to the latest in medical technology. St. Anthony Hospital is part of Centura Health, Colorado’s largest hospital and health care network. For more information on the new St. Anthony Medical Campus, please visit www.StAnthonyHosp.org or follow the hospital via Twitter @StAHospital and Facebook/StAHospital.