• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The temporary closure of Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) Emergency Department (ED) for renovation will be for three to four months, starting on Sept. 28.
CLMMRH Medical Center chief II, Dr. Joan Cerrada, said in a press conference Sept. 17 that the renovation, worth around P92 million, aims to improve and optimize space management in the ED, with the 65-68 bed capacity to be maintained; enhance physical setup for better patient and personnel experience, with comfort rooms for male, female, and PWDs as well as improved air-conditioning, among others; and to improve work efficiency.
Cerrada said the Notice to Proceed was issued to the winning bidder, Durabuild, Sept. 12. There will be a temporary Emergency Room with 18 beds that will be established at the OPD (Outpatient Department) waiting area, as well as holding areas at the Mother and Child Building, with 45 to 50 beds.
She assured that patient prioritization will follow the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS), or the standards for ED patients, depending on the severity of their condition, with categories I or resuscitation, and II – emergent, or requiring prompt treatment, as well as trauma cases to be prioritized.
Other ER patients will be navigated, or referred, to partner private hospitals, depending on bed availability, with CLMMRH paying for the services rendered.
Cerrada said they already signed the memorandum of agreement yesterday morning with all six private hospitals in Bacolod, to help in attending to ER patients referred by the CLMMRH during the three-month closure.
These include the Riverside Medical Center, The Doctors’ Hospital, Metro Bacolod Hospital and Medical Center, South Bacolod General Hospital, Bacolod Adventist Medical Center, and the Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital.
“We’re so happy that all six private hospitals joined in the MOA signing, that they’re very cooperative and supportive” in ensuring that access to life-saving treatment and services will continue amid the ED renovation, Cerrada said.
Under the agreement, an ED Patient Navigation and Referral System will be implemented, with those that cannot be accommodated at CLMMRH’s temporary ER referred to any of the six partner private hospitals, under the bed tracker system.
Referred patients will continue to enjoy mandatory government discounts, including senior citizen and PWD benefits, PhilHealth emergency packages, the Department of Health’s Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients, and assistance from CLMMRH’s internally generated income, per the Horizon post.
“The changes in the physical setup will present challenges in patient movement and navigation. Please bear with us as we try to improve the hospital facilities,” Cerrada said, adding that series of coordination meetings were done with Mayor Greg Gasataya and staff, as well as orientation and simulation activities with private hospital coordinators, first responders, and emergency services volunteers on the patient navigation and bed tracker system.
The pilot run of the patient flow process will start on Sept. 20, she added. | CGC
