New expansion for The Prince Charles Hospital Emergency Department

• The Short Stay Unit within The Prince Charles Hospital Emergency Department has expanded.
• Six additional beds are now operational.
• The expansion will help support the planned hospital expansion program.

The Short Stay Treatment Area within the Emergency Department at The Prince Charles Hospital has expanded its capacity this week, opening six additional beds.

The $1 million expansion was funded through the Department of Health’s Patient Flow Intensive Program Initiative (PFLIP) to support the growing community.

Presentations at Emergency Departments across the state continue to increase, as do admissions into short stay areas.

This expansion will increase capacity and decrease delays in admission to ensure patients are seen in a timely and effective manner.

This project will boost the capacity of the unit by an additional six treatment spaces bringing the total to 16.

The Prince Charles Hospital Executive Director, Tami Photinos said The Prince Charles Hospital is home to one of the busiest Emergency Departments in the state.

“This expansion will help us support our rapidly growing community, ensuring appropriate care in a timely manner.”

“We have already seen close to 85 thousand presentations this year, with 21 percent of those admitted to the Short Stay Unit.”

“This expansion will support our management of the increasing demand of emergency service now, and into the future.”

TPCH Emergency Medicine Staff Specialist Francesco (Joe) Passantino said short stay units are used for patients who require additional monitoring without the need for hospital admission.

“We treat a range of patients in our Short Stay Treatment Area including mild concussions, elderly patients who have had a fall, or patients requiring short-term IV antibiotics.”

“The expansion allows us to spend extra time with these patients before deciding next steps, and also improves our ability to move patients through the emergency department more effectively.”