GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - The emergency department at CHI St. Francis has a newly renovated space that hospital officials say has the latest in technology. 

President of St. Francis Medical Center Edward Hannon said it was a necessary development. 

“It was in need of a facelift, technology had changed, demands for new services had changed,” Hannon said. 

The emergency department relocated to the west side of the hospital while the $13 million, 27,000 square foot project was under construction.

The project began last May and Hannon said it was designed uniquely. 

“It was not designed by architects and engineers. They certainly drew the plans, but it was the physicians and the nursing staff, and the technologists who worked here for the last 20 years and actually work in this department who said this is what we need. This is the flow of the patient that makes sense for us.”

The 26-bed ED features private consultation rooms, triage exam rooms, designated resuscitation room, behavioral health treatment rooms, isolation treatment rooms with negative pressure capabilities, large trauma bay that can support several critical patients, a centralized nurse’s station and more. 

Medical Director Anthony Cook says the way the centralized nurse’s station is designed will benefit them but mostly the patients. 

“All the nurses and providers can sit there, communicate with each other and more importantly we can see all the rooms or most of the rooms," Cook said. "The most critical patients will be in the rooms you can see right from the desk, so that’s going to be a huge benefit. Instead of relying on monitors, we can actually see what’s going on.”

Cook said they can’t wait to use the space. 

“Everyone is very excited about it; it’s been a long time coming. (It's) two years I think in the making as far as construction time so we’re ready to be here,” Cook said. 

A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Thursday at 5:00 p.m.

“We don’t really look for people coming into the emergency department but if you have to come, St. Francis is the place to come," Hannon said. 

Once the State Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services inspects the facilities to make sure everything works, it will be open to the public.