Milwaukee VA Medical Center expands emergency department

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee-area veterans now have more access to emergency care. 

The VA Medical Center recently expanded its emergency department from 11 to 20 beds. 

Two of the rooms are designed for mental health care. There are also four treatment zones, depending on the type of medical care a veteran needs. 

The VA says the expansion will allow staff to see nearly double the number of patients it previously could at any given time. 

"This system is designed to bring people back as quickly as possible in front of a provider," said Dr. Edward Callahan with the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. "If you have a sore throat and you have a heart attack, we keep those two separate. The sore throat would go through quickly, but the heart attack will be taken quickly as well."

The VA also added remote "Telehealth" capabilities so doctors can have video conferences with other VA hospitals about treatments and services. The new emergency department will admit its first patients starting Wednesday. 

Share this article: