Approximately 30 Burbank neighbors raised $7000 to benefit Providence Saint Joseph’s Minutes Matter Emergency Services Campaign for a new ER and Urgent Care facility while attending a party hosted by Linda Walmsley at her home on Thursday, September 12.
“We were thrilled to be among Linda’s friends and neighbors to raise funds for these critical resources last week,” commented Angela Khurdajian, Philanthropic Gift Advisor for Providence Saint Joseph Foundation.
“Linda is a valuable member of Providence Saint Joseph Foundation’s Burbank Committee of the Emergency Services Minutes Matter Campaign – a $78M undertaking to build a state-of-the-art new emergency department and urgent care. We have raised $61M to date and are looking to our heartfelt community to help us raise the rest.”
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center has one of the busiest Emergency Services Departments in Los Angeles County.
“We have outgrown our facility and are building a new emergency department nearly three times the size of what we have now with an adjacent urgent care to help those who have less critical ailments,” Khurdajian explained. “When you pass by the medical center you’ll see that the construction site is fenced off.”
“Since these new structures are being built from the ground up, our current emergency department will continue to operate until the new facilities open by early 2022. It’s an exciting time for Providence Saint Joseph!”
The new facility will provide more space for critical treatment, tripling in size from 13,800 square feet to 34,500 square feet. Plans are to increase the number of beds from the current 24 plus eight hallway beds to 44 ER beds and 12 Urgent Care beds.
The new Urgent Care space of 8500 square feet will provide an area for treatment of minor injuries and ailments.
Triage will be separated into specialized waiting and treatment areas for different kinds of patients – for those who are ill, injured, pediatric, geriatric or psychiatric.
The new building will house dedicated imaging and labs to provide faster diagnostics and reduced wait times.
All in all, Providence Saint Joseph expects to be able to treat more people, more quickly. They expect the annual number of 72,000 visits to increase to over 93,000 once the new ER and Urgent Care building is open.
“This campaign touches the lives of everyone around us,” said Michael Hastings, who co-chairs Providence Saint Joseph’s Minutes Matter Emergency Services Campaign, along with his wife Kathy and Nat and Alma Rubinfeld. “St. Joe’s is an integral part of the fabric of our community and we must step up and support this much needed emergency services facility.”
“The campaign title says it all…’Minutes Matter.’ AND so do the people that the hospital serves,” Hastings added. “It’s time for us all to stretch and assist in the funding of this lifesaving complex.”
“I was was so happy to have community leaders, good friends and of course my very young friends Jordan and Alex join with me to support this exciting new facility that will make Burbank even better for all of us that call it home,” commented Walmsley.
