By Alicia Fabbre
The Chicago Tribune
PLAINFIELD, Ill. — Plainfield residents may not have a hospital of their own yet, but for emergency care they can stay close to home now that Edward Hospital in Naperville has opened its free-standing emergency center at 127th Street and Van Dyke Road.
Edward’s Plainfield center opened this month to treat everything from broken bones to pneumonia, becoming only the second FEC to open in Illinois, according to state health officials.
“I think it’s a real step forward and we’re happy to have it,” said Plainfield Village President Mike Collins.
The 7,900-square-foot center features 15 beds and is staffed with the same doctors who operate Edward Hospital’s emergency room. At least one doctor, three nurses and a respiratory therapist will be on hand each shift.
“We have the capabilities and facilities that rival a lot of emergency departments that are attached to a hospital,” said Dr. Peter Schubel, medical director of the Plainfield emergency center.
He noted that patients can expect to be seen by a doctor quickly — with wait times targeted at 30 minutes or less, he said.
Free-standing emergency centers offer 24-hour urgent care and are staffed by certified emergency physicians, emergency-trained nurses and paramedics. They are not to be confused with walk-in medical centers, sometimes known as “docs in a box,” which have sprouted across the country for patients suffering from minor infections and ailments, according to experts.
Those clinics are not regulated in Illinois, except through participating physicians’ licenses, while free-standing emergency centers are licensed and regulated by the Illinois Department of Public Health and are allowed to take “basic life support” ambulance runs, according to the department.
FECs are not trauma centers and do not have patient wards, so seriously ill or injured patients will still have to be transported to hospitals, health experts said.
While the facilities are common in other regions, only three Illinois hospitals -- Edward, Lake Forest and Silver Cross in Joliet -- have permits to open FECs. Silver Cross opened its free-standing center in Homer Glen in early August while Lake Forest’s facility is still being planned, hospital officials said.
Although Edward’s FEC is not a trauma center, the facility can treat emergency cases such as broken bones, respiratory problems, high fevers and allergic reactions. The most serious cases — such as strokes or heart attacks — can be quickly moved to an area hospital by an on-site paramedic transport team. If the patient opts to go to Edward Hospital in Naperville, the trip takes about 10 minutes via ambulance, Schubel said.
Edward Hospital officials have been trying to locate a hospital in Plainfield but have been turned down various times by the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. Most recently, the board in January turned down plans for a 130-bed hospital.
Hospital officials said they are weighing their options for another application to locate a hospital in Plainfield and are keeping a careful watch for changes to the board.
“We’re still committed to bringing a full-service hospital to Plainfield,” said Brian Davis, Edward Hospital’s vice president of marketing and government relations. “When it’s the right time we’re going to move forward with another application.”
A cancer care center also is on Edward’s Plainfield campus. The cancer care center began taking patients for chemotherapy on Sept. 1. Radiation will be available in December.
Copyright 2009 Chicago Tribune Company