Four years ago, the UVA emergency room expansion was literally a hole in the ground. But if you’ve been to the hospital recently, you can’t miss the massive new tower of windows on the east end. The new emergency department is almost finished and scheduled to open on October 15.
However, the new construction won’t just house the new emergency room. It also includes more operating rooms and beds for hospitalized patients, although those areas won’t open until next year.
Everyone is curious about the entire UVA hospital expansion project. What does the inside of the emergency room look like? How different will it be for patients?
Here’s everything you need to know.
UVA Hospital Expansion at a Glance
Emergency Room Expansion
In 2018, 64,780 patients visited our ER. The number of patients often exceeded the ER’s capacity.
The new space has:
- 45,000 square feet, up from 15,000 – three times the size!
- 70 beds, up from 45, with another 10 opening later
It also features:
- All private rooms
- Dedicated space for mental health services
- Separate space for pediatric and adult patients
- TVs, seating, tables and charging stations in the waiting room
We’re also renovating the current emergency room space to create a clinical decision-making unit, opening in fall 2020. This will assess whether patients should be admitted, observed or discharged.
Need ER Care?
The existing UVA emergency room is still open and seeing patients 24/7. Get directions and parking information.
Full UVA Hospital Expansion
Opening summer 2020, the expansion adds 425,000 square feet, including:
- Three floors with 28 private rooms per floor
- Three additional floors with shell space to build another 84 rooms when needed
- A new rooftop helipad for medevac helicopters
We’re renovating another 95,000 square feet of additional hospital space.
The expansion will help us:
- Convert more shared patient rooms to private rooms
- Reduce emergency wait times
- Increase capacity for procedures
This content was adapted from Connect, UVA Health’s employee publication.
Look Inside the UVA Emergency Room Expansion
Watch the slideshow below to see how it looks now!