Press Releases
September 14, 2009
Lake Forest Hospital Dedicates Lake County’s First Emergency Center
Grayslake, IL. — As a result of new legislation approved in 2008, Lake Forest Hospital dedicated its new Freestanding Emergency Center in Grayslake today. The hospital received state approval for an FEC last November and is awaiting licensure with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“The State of Illinois recognized the immense value of Freestanding Emergency Centers,” said Thomas J. McAfee, President and CEO of Lake Forest Hospital. “Now ambulances no longer have to bypass our Grayslake facility. The Emergency Center will provide northwest Lake County residents with the additional emergency services they need.”
Freestanding Emergency Centers provide efficient emergency care, since 85% of emergency patients do not require hospital admission. For example, patients with broken bones, food poisoning and the flu can receive quality emergency care close to home at an FEC.
Lake Forest Hospital’s Emergency Center is located in Grayslake at 1475 E. Belvidere Rd., which was previously operated as a 24-hour Acute Care Center. With an FEC designation, the facility will reopen as an Emergency Center and be able to accept BLS (basic life support) emergency patients who come in via ambulance.
Board-certified emergency physicians and certified nurses from Lake Forest Hospital will continue to staff the facility. The Grayslake Emergency Center features 14 emergency treatment beds in addition to the necessary ancillary services on-site, including advanced diagnostic imaging, cardiac testing, speech and physical therapy.
Lake Forest Hospital is a 215-bed community hospital with 600 physicians board-certified in 68 medical specialties, conveniently located in offices throughout Lake County. The hospital has been named the “Consumer Choice” Hospital for Lake and Kenosha counties according to a survey by National Research Corporation for five years in a row for having the best doctors, best nurses, best image and reputation, and best overall quality.
The hospital’s mission is to provide communities the highest quality health care through exceptional access to state-of-the-art clinical services with compassionate and personal care. Clinical services are delivered at the hospital’s Lake Forest and Grayslake campuses, and at facilities in Bannockburn, Glenview, Gurnee-Brookside, Gurnee-Tower Court, Libertyville, Lindenhurst and Vernon Hills. At the main hospital in Lake Forest, exemplary care is provided in Cain Family Emergency Services, the Hunter Family Center for Women’s Health, the Posy Krehbiel Breast Care Center, the Waud Family Maternity Services and the Center for Advanced Radiation Medicine. CareCoach, Lake County’s only mobile health program, provides care for the underserved at 25 locations throughout the region. For more information, visit www.lfh.org.