SMITH CENTER, Kan. – The staff at Smith County Memorial Hospital want patients and their guests to know how to best access the facility after hours and on weekends.
“We have heard from our patient community that our after-hours entrance is difficult to locate,” Allen Van Driel, CEO of the hospital, said. “We want access to the facility to be easy for patients and guests anytime our front lobby is closed.”
Patients and guests should enter the facility through the emergency room after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all weekend. The emergency room entrance is located on the southeast side of the building and should be used 24/7 for emergency services.
To help clarify the location of the doors, new signage has been added to the ER entrance as well as the sidewalk from the parking lot to the doors.
“Our hope is that these changes increase accessibility,” Van Driel said. “It’s important that the public know what entrances are available so they can enter the facility either for emergencies or as guests of patients.”
One additional change the hospital staff has made is to lock the lobby doors after hours. The only exterior entrance available after hours will be the emergency doors.
“We’ve locked the lobby doors to ensure patients and guests receive help in a timely manner.” Van Driel said.
The entrance is accessible from the front parking lot and the ER waiting area has a wheelchair for those who need assistance getting from the parking lot to the doors. Inside the doors, visitors will see a doorbell with an intercom to call the nurses station. Staff will buzz in visitors or come to assist with entry.
“The health and safety of our patient community and staff are of the utmost importance to us,” Van Driel said. “These changes were made with the best interest of the community in mind.”