New Hospital Center Handles July 4th Rush-July 10, 1975

Norwood Hospital Ambulatory Care Center Performance

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According to Public Relations Director Eileen Sullivan, the center—which had opened four months prior at 15 Linden St.—effectively managed the patient load, diverting non-emergency cases away from the hospital’s main emergency room. This redirection allowed the emergency room to prioritize serious accidents and injuries that require immediate medical attention.

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Like the emergency room, the ambulatory care center is staffed by hospital physicians and nurses, though it operates on a schedule tailored to peak hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends, as well as during weekday morning and afternoon hours. Beyond providing care for non-emergency issues, the center also handles out-patient laboratory work, X-rays, and cases where a family doctor directs a patient to meet them at the hospital. Mrs. Sullivan noted that visits to the ambulatory care center are less expensive than those in the emergency room.

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To further improve patient intake, the hospital introduced an emergency department coordinator—a registered nurse who greets arriving patients. Before discharging an emergency patient, this coordinator ensures the patient is satisfied with their care and confirms that they understand all instructions regarding follow-up treatment. While the center performs functions similar to a family doctor, hospital officials continue to encourage families to maintain a personal physician, noting that residents can contact the hospital’s administrative department for a list of staff members.

The development of specialized care facilities like the ambulatory center reflected the hospital’s recurring need to evolve its services in response to patient volume and the necessity of prioritizing emergency trauma care.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger