Generous Donors Help Meet Growing Needs
The Emergency Department at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital is one of the busiest in San Luis Obispo County. Its central location makes it the best place to come from all over for trusted emergency care. The hospital's name starts with Arroyo Grande, but it serves all of the Five Cities and other nearby communities.
In early 2020, the department underwent an expansion to ensure that everyone who steps through the Emergency Department’s (ED) doors continues receiving the highest quality care—thanks in large part to the Legacy Campaign.
“We completed construction on the expansion of the emergency department a month before COVID happened,” said Medical Director Margaux Snider, MD. “We were seeing about 55 to 70 patients a day at most, all in curtained rooms and about 10 beds. We were still seeing a lot of the community, but the department had already outgrown its previous rooms and there was very little privacy.”
Now, thanks to the expansion, Dr. Snider and her staff are able to see 90 to 100 people a day.
“It’s so nice to have that extra space, and it came at exactly the right time,” she said.
With funds from the Legacy Campaign, the ED footprint was doubled to include 18 beds in private rooms, two triage spaces, and a couple of flexible use spaces, which can be used for a variety of purposes depending on the needs
of patients and the hospital.
Other features of the remodel include an updated lobby and intake area and new state-ofthe-art equipment, including an ultrasound machine, an airway purification system, a negative pressure room for controlling infectious diseases, and a psychiatric room for people in crisis.
Funds from the Hoelle Tompkins Sisterhood Society, the Carrol Pruett Philanthropic Fraternity, and other generous donors were also used to pay for a mental health evaluator to better evaluate patients as they come in for
care and get them connected with services more quickly. That position was transformative for the department, especially during a time when mental health needs skyrocketed.
It has since shifted to a substance use navigator to address drug and alcohol use in our community and educate patients about treatment options. Like the Emergency Department, its staff members are constantly adapting to best meet the needs of our community.
“This generous community has directly impacted our ability to practice medicine and take care of the community. I’m tremendously grateful to our donors,” Dr. Snider said. “Everything they donate goes directly to the community through tangible changes and improvements.”
For more information about the Foundation, please contact us.