Every day that Flora Yanofsky sees cranes and crews outside Delray Medical Center she smiles
She spent several days in a room at the hospital after lung surgery. She says being in a private room made it so much more tolerable. “I think mentally and physically for anybody is very important. After surgery you really feel lousy.”
A new four-story tower will add nearly 200 more private rooms at the hospital.
Another big change is moving the helipad from behind the hospital.
Currently crews drive an ambulance to the pad, get the patient off the helicopter and drive them about 100 yards to the emergency room. It’s a process which takes 5 minutes.
The plan is to build a helipad four stories up. There will be an elevator which brings patients directly to the ER, shaving more than 3 minutes off the transportation time. And saving even a few minutes can make a lifesaving difference.
“If you talk to any of the experts in the field, that golden hour is important,” said Delray Medical Center CEO Mark Bryan.
Bryan says Delray Medical Center is one of two hospitals in the county which can handle the highest priority emergency calls.
Construction should be done by May of 2017.