St. Luke's Miners Campus is expanding its emergency department to see more patients. And it could also help cut down on wait times.

Construction is underway to bring new exam rooms and an all new mental health area to the hospital, while the emergency department continues to operate each day.Since the hospital became a certified trauma center in 2014, it has seen a steady increase in patients. The number of patients has grown by roughly 12-14 percent each year since the hospital earned the accreditation, according to emergency department director Dr. Adam Colombo."To help manage that volume of patient traffic, we are expanding the number of rooms we have, as well as what each of our rooms is capable of," Colombo said.With more exam rooms, patients should expect to spend less time in the waiting room. It will also reduce the number of patients who have been assessed and have to wait in the hall for an exam room to become available.When a patient is seen by a doctor, they will have more equipment available for them inside the new rooms."If the patients are satisfied, I have a happier job too. Nobody really likes being out in the hallway, you feel exposed, you feel less private," Colombo said.In changing with the times, the hospital also felt the need to devote more attention to mental health. A new dedicated area for mental health patients is intended to be more comfortable. Oftentimes mental health patients have to wait at the ER for multiple days waiting for a permanent placement. The new mental health area will have private rooms with a bathroom and shower, as well as a common area isolated from the rest of the department."Those rooms will have colorful murals and behavioral health televisions, so hopefully they will have a more pleasant stay while they're waiting for that placement," Colombo said.The ER is like the hospital's gateway, Colombo said. Many of the patients who are admitted to the hospital come through the emergency department first, so it's obviously a big focus for the hospital.Colombo credited community outreach and liaisons with local ambulance companies for increasing the number of patients who choose Miners' emergency department.This year, the department was the focus of the hospital's Black Diamond fundraising event.Miners President William Moyer said that improving the department is part of their commitment to providing top-notch care to the people of Carbon and Schuylkill counties."More and more patients are choosing the Miners emergency department, and as a result we are expanding to meet the needs of the community," Moyer said.And patients can look out for more improvements to the emergency department and beyond. The emergency department has a five-year plan to expand even further."We expect to continue to grow in all aspects of the hospital," Colombo said.