Ministry St. Michael’s Hospital announced it will start receiving emergency care patients at its new Emergency Department/Urgent Care (ED/UC) department Monday, Oct. 12.

The new entrance for the ED/UC will be relocated to the newly constructed entrance on the southeast corner of the emergency building, 900 Illinois Ave., Stevens Point.

Reserved parking for ED/UC patients and their family members will be designated in the lower level of the parking ramp in the southeast corner of Illinois Avenue.

All non-emergency visitors should continue to utilize the north main hospital parking lot and entrance.

Maps highlighting the new entrance to the ED and urgent care are located on the hospital’s construction website found at www.ministryhealth.org/stptbuild.

The 15,000-square-foot addition to the ED/UC departments and 40,000-square-foot renovation to outpatient areas including the Ambulatory Surgery Center, designed by Flad Architects, is valued at more than $20 million.

The ED/UC at Ministry St. Michael’s Hospital is the busiest within the Ministry Health Care system and is the only emergency department in Portage County. Originally constructed to accommodate 27,000 visits annually, the ED/UC currently treats more than 40,000 patients each year.

Key upgrades to the ED/UC include improving privacy with private waiting rooms and making waiting, consulting and registration areas less public; reducing patient wait time with no-wait model; improve efficiency by maximizing facility capacity and staff resources; as well as a new South entrance, new East corridor connecting North and South entrances and covered ambulance garage.

Hospital leaders remind the public that the Emergency Department and Urgent Care will remain open during construction providing the same 24-hour, around-the-clock care that is currently available, and that Plover Urgent Care is also available for urgent care needs.

Ministry St. Michael’s Hospital announced plans to construct a new Emergency Department (ED) and renovate the Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) in August 2013. Construction officially began in October 2013.

The project requires a total investment of $20 million to upgrade the original space constructed in 1985 and continue to meet expectations and demands for service.

When fully completed, the project will bring together resources from key portions of the emergency department with surgical preparation and recovery to create a more efficient and enhanced patient care experience.

For more information, visit www.ministryhealth.org/stptbuild or call 715-346-5005