This fall, Our Lady of the Lake Health in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will begin a $55 million renovation of the emergency department at its flagship hospital, the 800-bed Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. The project will expand the emergency department’s capacity, incorporate advanced technology and improve patient and staff experience. The department is the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and one of the region’s busiest emergency departments.
The renovation will add 20 new treatment spaces to reduce wait times, and it will enhance patient flow for faster triage and intervention, upgrade diagnostic technology and improve design for greater comfort and privacy. The renovation also will improve wayfinding.
The current emergency department will remain open around the clock during the construction.
Our Lady of the Lake President Chuck Spicer said in a release that the construction will "elevate and enhance our physical facility to the level of clinical excellence our team members and physicians provide in the delivery of emergency care every day."
Our Lady of the Lake is part of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. That parent system’s president and CEO, E. J. Kuiper, said in the release that the emergency department renovation is part of FMOLHS’s broader strategic plan to modernize facilities, expand capabilities and elevate emergency care regionally.