Immediate (Tuesday, February 08, 2005)

Collin Parker

Fletcher Allen Public Affairs

802-847-2886

First Area of Fletcher Allen's Ambulatory Care Center to Open on Valentine's Day

Includes Pre-Operative Area, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, and Procedure Rooms

BURLINGTON, VT - Patients and visitors will get their first look at Fletcher Allen's new Ambulatory Care Center with the opening of the Pre-Operative area and Post-Anesthesia Care Unit on Monday, February 14.  The Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, or PACU, is where patients recover after surgery.

The new Pre-Operative/PACU area will occupy the entire third floor of the West Pavilion of the Ambulatory Care Center, an area more than twice the size of its current space in the McClure Building.  This increased space will allow for increased patient privacy; whereas the current facility has curtains separating patients from each other, the new unit will use a combination of fixed walls and also retractable walls to increase privacy.

"The ability to finally give patients their own space will be very nice," said Jeanne Butler, R.N., nurse manager of pre-operative services.  "We're certainly looking forward to the move."

Fletcher Allen now has 29 Pre-Operative and PACU beds on the Medical Center Campus, but the new area will have more than double that number (64 beds), plus five procedure rooms.  Also included in the new area is a suite of patient bays that can be set aside for pediatric patients.

Another important feature for patients will be the addition of sunshine.  The current unit has no windows, but the new area will have more than a dozen windows to let in the natural light.

"The general consensus is that more sunlight means less recovery time," said Monica Walter, R.N., nursing director of Perioperative Services.  "And for the first time, our patients, as well as our employees, will be able to see the outside world while on the floor, and that will be a nice change."