Banner Thunderbird opens new Emergency department

GLENDALE, Ariz. (May 22, 2009) --Banner Thunderbird Medical Center has opened its brand new state-of-the art Emergency department to patients.

Banner Thunderbird's Emergency department, one of the busiest in the Northwest Valley, is an acre in size with 75 treatment areas.

The design of the new Emergency department includes a small waiting room so that patients are seen by medical staff as quickly as possible.

There is also now a Pediatric Emergency department staffed with medical experts specifically trained to care for children.  The new pediatric area has bright inviting colors and cartoon murals to help kids feel more comfortable.

The new Emergency department helps Banner Thunderbird better care for the area. For the past several years, the hospital has been running at or near capacity. 

The Emergency department takes up the entire first floor of the hospital's new South Tower which is six stories and will open about a floor a month over the summer. 

The sixth and final floor will be shelled space until growth requires build-out.  The building is topped with two federally licensed helipads where elevators can take patients directly down into the Emergency department.

About Banner Thunderbird Medical Center
Banner Thunderbird Medical Center is part of Banner Health — a nonprofit health system with 22 hospitals throughout the West. It is a 409-bed acute-care hospital offering an array of services including heart care, surgery services, cancer care, orthopedics, pediatrics, Level III critical care nursery, neurosurgery and a comprehensive women and infants services program.