One of the two new Trauma rooms now on line as part of L+M’s ongoing renovation of its Emergency Department, due for completion in late 2026.
It’s been more than five years since L+M Hospital began an $81.6 million Emergency Department (ED) renovation, and for much of that time construction crews and caregivers have been in a state of well-choreographed synchronization, dancing around one another as they simultaneously upgrade the facility and deliver safe, compassionate care.
Now, all that shuffling and side-stepping is beginning to pay off. The dancing is becoming more fluid and natural as many new rooms are now in operation and contractors eye a late 2026 completion of 57 state-of-the-art private treatment rooms.
One benefit of all this hard work is the opening of two new trauma rooms in the ED which coincided with a virtual onsite inspection of the hospital’s trauma facilities by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). L+M’s Trauma team has been on an intensive journey for the past two years to achieve a Level 3 Trauma Center verification and the new trauma rooms were among L+M facilities the ACS reviewers analyzed.
“These two newly outfitted trauma rooms coming on line just as we’re seeking Level 3 trauma verification is amazing timing,” said Jess Mancarella, RN, Trauma program manager. She noted that ACS reviewers scrutinized other trauma-related care areas at the hospital, including ambulance bays, the Operating Room, Post Anesthesia Care Unit, CT Scan and the Intensive Care Unit.
“To have our surveyors see all that our teams have accomplished to meet their high standards, and then have them see our new ED trauma rooms, demonstrates our commitment on multiple levels,” Mancarella said. “We have highly skilled personnel in place and state-of-the-art physical capabilities. I think it makes very clear that we are committed to the optimal care of our trauma patients and the entire community.”
In addition to trauma rooms, the ED will have two updated isolation rooms with negative pressure for patients with highly contagious conditions, said Adam Kuhn, project supervisor with Facilities, who has been overseeing the ED renovations. About half of the 57 private rooms will be open when the next section is completed.
“It’s been challenging every step of the way, but it’s starting to get better,” Kuhn said. “The more beds we release, the more it relieves the pressure on staff. The ED team has been great to work with.”
ED Nurse Manager Karen Mackinnel, RN, agreed. “We all understand that we’re working together toward the same goal of improving our ED both for patients and our staff,” she said. “Our Facilities team and the contractors from AZ Corp. know that patients come first, so they’ve been great to work with. And emergency departments are always a little chaotic, so we can roll with it. It’s what we do.”
