More beds, specialty rooms, psychiatric suites, trauma bays and new treatment areas are all in the plans for the estimated $14 million expansion of the Emergency Room (ER) department at Upper Valley Medical Center (UVMC), 3130 North County Road 25A in Troy. Troy Rotarians heard a comprehensive update on the plans from Lisa Weaver during the club’s weekly meeting on June 21st.

The ER department will grow from 26,000 square feet to 40,000 once all the changes are finished. In addition to the extra beds and treatment areas, there will be a second MRI and other equipment added to the facility. The patient rooms will be larger and have identical functionality. These new rooms, in addition to substantial upgrades in technology and connectivity will aid the staff in providing consistent care to patients. The expansion is due to be completed by the end of 2016.

The hospital is projecting caring for over 55,000 clients this year. This represents a 12 percent increase in emergency room visits. The growth is attributed to several factors including changes in health care laws, a lack of family medical professionals and a shift in the overall demographics in the area. UVMC’s ER department is leading the quality care guideline benchmarks for all of Premier’s network of hospitals. This means UVMC is performing better than all others in the Premier network when measured against federal standards. UVMC’s quality of care continues to improve as Premier invests in new technology, staff and infrastructure. To learn more, please visit their Web site at www.uvmc.com.

Troy Rotarians, and the Troy Rotary Foundation, support several community projects annually. In 2014-15, more than $16,000 in scholarships and community aid was distributed from the fund, including the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Rotary’s annual Shoe Project and support for summer camps at Brukner Nature Center and WACO Air Museum. Club members are always looking for new topics to share at weekly meetings. If you are interested in presenting your business or organization, please visit the Troy Rotary Web site at www.troyohiorotary.org and submit your information in the “Contact Us” section. Troy Rotary is a member-involved, goal-oriented service club focused on socio/economic issues that have an impact both locally and internationally. You can follow their activities on Facebook at Troy Rotary Club.