Efficient, easy access for arrival at Salem Hospital’s ED
(Salem, Ore. – April 19, 2022) – Salem Health today announced the opening of the Salem Hospital Emergency Department plaza and entrance, featuring a dedicated driveway, patient drop-off and adjacent covered garage parking for Emergency Department patients and those escorting them to receive emergency services.
The Emergency Department plaza and entrance driveway represents completion of the first phase of Salem Health’s two and a half-year construction project that also features a seven-story patient tower addition to the existing main hospital, on track to open in July 2022.
Salem Hospital’s Emergency Department is one of the busiest in the region, serving more than 100,000 patients each year. Design considerations for the plaza and driveway took into account that patients arriving at the hospital for emergency services need easy access to minimize any delays in getting to and into the hospital. The new driveway features prominent directional signage, enhanced lighting, wide lanes and an ample drop-off zone for patients to safely exit their vehicle at the Emergency Department entrance, all under cover to shelter arriving patients from weather elements.
“Easy, open, intuitive. There was a significant amount of time and detail to shape the front door of our hospital’s emergency services,” said Cheryl Wolfe, president and CEO, Salem Health Hospitals and Clinics, in a dedication ceremony. “The drive to an emergency room can be scary and filled with distractions. Having to hunt for the correct turn as you approach only adds to the stress, but the new entrance was designed to eliminate that stress whenever possible and to enhance the experience of support and care outside our doors, because every moment counts for those in crisis.”
When hospitals expand, emergency departments are often buried amid the growth and become harder to find. When Salem Health began planning the 150-bed expansion to our campus with Scott Edwards Architecture, special attention was paid to ensure our patients and their loved ones could still easily locate the emergency room. The reconfiguration of the drop-off zone and parking area is designed to catch the eye and facilitate smooth access to emergency care.
Beginning April 19, patient access to the Emergency Department and non-emergency services now features:
- The Emergency Department plaza entrance is accessed from Capitol Street. Emergency Department patients enter the plaza driveway for drop-off at the entrance or proceed to dedicated Emergency Department parking on the first floor of the parking garage.
- The ramp entering the parking garage on Capitol Street separates non-emergency traffic to ease congestion and simplify parking.
- Non-emergency patient pickup and drop-off access is restored in the Oak Street turnaround.
- Patients visiting Building C may park in the Building C parking garage (enter on Winter Street) or in the main Capitol Street parking garage.
- With direct access restored to each patient area, valet service is no longer available at the hospital.
- Capitol Street has reopened to thru traffic.
- For more detail, visit www.salemhealth.org/parking.
About Salem Health Hospitals and Clinics
Salem Health offers exceptional care to people in and around Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley. It comprises hospitals in Salem and Dallas, a medical group of primary and specialty care providers, plus other affiliated services. Visit us at www.salemhealth.org; “Like” us on www.facebook.com/salemhealth; follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @salemhealth; and view us at www.youtube.com/salemhealth.
