KESSLER ER NOW ATLANTICARE

From the Press of Atlantic City, Saturday, 3/14/09

The era of AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center's Satellite Emergency Department, Kessler Campus, has begun.

AtlantiCare took over Kessler Memorial Hospital's emergency department at 7:05 p.m. Thursday - five minutes after the 45-year-old facility closed its doors.

"We are looking to make a significant investment into the Kessler campus to guarantee that it will be up to our high standards," said Rene Z. Bunting, AtlantiCare's vice president of marketing and communications.

Lori Herndon, AtlantiCare's chief operating officer, said AtlantiCare is leasing the existing emergency department and some space around it. Kessler's board is still responsible for the rest of the property, she said.

The transition took less than 24 hours, after Kessler officials terminated an agreement Wednesday night for cardiovascular surgeon B. Reddy Dandolu to buy the hospital for a reported $7.5 million. Hospital officials claim Dandolu failed to send an agreed-upon $300,000 down payment.

"I've been told that most times it takes weeks, if not months, to (make this kind of transition)," said Herndon, adding this is AtlantiCare's first foray into operating a satellite emergency department. "I was notified about it at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, and we were open by 7:05 p.m. Thursday."

But AtlantiCare does not plan to open a hospital in Hammonton, she said.

Kessler's emergency room is now operating with only AtlantiCare staff, Herndon said, due to the short notice given for the transition. This includes three emergency room doctors who worked for Kessler but were also affiliated with AtlantiCare.

A satellite emergency room is not entirely the same as an emergency room attached to a hospital, and there are a few categories of patients who the state Department of Health and Senior Services says are "more appropriately treated" at an emergency room at a hospital. They are as follows:

According to the department, a satellite emergency department must provide basic life support emergency care and stat laboratory services, basic radiology services, defibrillators, advanced airway equipment, surgical airway equipment, suction equipment, an obstetric kit and emergency chest decompression equipment. Other services can be added at the facility's discretion.

Herndon said AtlantiCare is already in the process of screening former Kessler employees for employment.

AtlantiCare also plans to work with other health care providers to host a private job fair for laid off Kessler employees, Bunting said. The event is expected to take place next week, but the details were not finalized as of Friday afternoon.

AtlantiCare inherited two patients when it took over the emergency room Thursday night, officials said. Seven more came in before 8 a.m. A few of the patients were in serious enough condition to be sent to other facilities after being stabilized.

It was emergency treatment they would have had to wait at least 20 minutes for if the emergency room did not stay open.

The ripple effect of Kessler Hospital closing has already started with local eateries seeing a drastic decline in business.

Click link for the rest of the story