Two major developments related to the area’s emergency medical services are scheduled for later this month, according to New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

NHRMC will open its stand-alone emergency department in northern New Hanover County at 7 a.m. May 20, following a short ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6:45 a.m., the organization announced recently in a news release.

The new facility, which officials are calling ED-North, cost slightly more than $15 million, the release stated.

The new 30,000-square-foot facility, according to the release, will house a “full-service, 24-hour emergency department staffed by board-certified emergency physicians, specially-trained emergency care nurses and a multi-disciplinary support team that mirrors the expert healthcare services provided at the NHRMC and NHRMC Orthopedic Hospital emergency departments.”

It will be equipped with a helicopter pad so critical care teams can provide emergency air transport. NHRMC EMS teams will continue to provide emergency ground transport, according to the release.

“NHRMC Health & Diagnostics will relocate from Porters Neck to the new building, providing the same outpatient services, including CT, X-ray, digital mammography, MRI, bone density, ultrasound and more. NHRMC Health & Diagnostics is expected to serve about 40 patients per day for scheduled outpatient appointments’” the release stated.

“This is a modern emergency department with a new design that was developed using Lean methodology and patient input,” Jack Barto, NHRMC president and CEO, said in the release. “When patients today seek emergency medical care, they have a choice on where to go, and expect value and an excellent experience when they get there. ED–North gives patients in that area closer access to our higher standard of emergency health care.”

NHRMC will host an open house for the public May 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. with tours, demonstrations, health screenings and activities for children.

On May 21, the day after ED-North’s opening, NHRMC will embark on a project to double the size of NHRMC’s Emergency Department, which the health care organization says is the “busiest emergency department in southeastern North Carolina.”

The expansion and accompanying upgrade – scheduled for completion in the spring of 2017 – “will enable the department to offer more convenience, efficiency and comfort while helping patients connect with community resources to help them stay well,” a news release stated.

Throughout the two-year project, emergency patients arriving by car will be directed to the new emergency entrance to the right of the hospital’s main front entrance. Red signs will designate the new entrance, a drive-up emergency parking lane by the entrance and emergency parking in the lot in front of the NHRMC Zimmer Center, according to the release.

A team of staff, hospital police and volunteers will be stationed at the new Emergency Department entrance to provide guidance, check in patients, and assist with parking. Ambulance Drive will continue to be the main entry point for EMS ground transportation, the release stated.