Confluence Health Opens 2nd Emergency Department

Confluence Health has opened a second 24/7 emergency room that will be located at Wenatchee Valley Hospital.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jason Lake says the ER at Central Washington Hospital is often very busy with a full waiting room.

"We really wanted to provide more expeditious care but we needed to improve the capacity of our emergency room services and the best way to do that was to add a second emergency room at Wenatchee Valley Hospital."

Dr. Lake says both emergency rooms will be able to handle most emergencies though Central Washington Hospital will continue to be the regional leader for cardiac, stroke, and trauma care.

"The other big benefit is that we have a 20-bed hospital at Wenatchee Valley Hospital which can also admit patients, but those beds were honestly under utilized primarily because it was difficult getting patients from Central Washington Hospital down to Wenatchee Valley Hospital. Having an emergency room down there will also increase the utilization of those beds."

The 9,500 square foot facility is projected to serve up to 50 patients per day and has an on-site CT scanner, ultrasound, X-ray and laboratory services.