TOPPENISH — Usage of the Toppenish Community Hospital emergency room has reached 25,000 patients annually, and the hospital is taking steps to accommodate that growth, with a remodel project.
Assistant administrator Ron Gicca said the hospital is pending about $600,000 to eliminate bottlenecks to patient flow, provide additional space for patient care, improve security, and make the facility more comfortable for patients and staff.
Gicca said the utilization of the emergency room area has increased by 1,000 patients per year since 2003, though that growth is beginning to taper off.
He compared the 25,000 annual patient load of Toppenish Community to about 29,000 annually for Yakima Regional Hospital.
The first phase of the project is to rearrange the hospital’s main entrance to more efficiently direct patients and visitors to hospital services, helping create a less stressful environment and enhancing communication.  
He said the remodel project would also include a new entrance for the ER, and rearranging the space to double the size of the triage room, and add two more examination rooms.
“It will provide enough space to work comfortably,” Gicca said.
In addition to the changes in the utilization of the space, the remodel will include new furniture and new monitors and other equipment used in patient care.
He said he expected the project to be complete by about the middle of June, but the hospital would maintain normal operation during the project.
“It will be a whole new face for us,” Gicca said.