Beaufort Naval Hospital ER Gains CT Scanner, Loses Three Beds

The Beaufort Naval Hospital's emergency room is being fitted for a recently purchased Computed Tomography Scanner (or CT Scanner). It's a much welcome addition, however in order to make room for this new machine, three of the ER's seven beds will be temporarily unavailable while crews construct a new space for this machine.

Originally, sick patients who presented at the Naval Hospital's emergency room had to be transported by ambulance to Beaufort Memorial Hospital to receive a CT scan. The logistics behind this move not only made waiting times longer for patients yet to be seen, but patients with potentially critical injuries experienced a delay in receiving a full diagnosis.

The emergency room is often filled to the brim with sick individuals, including recruits from nearby Parris Island. To add to the wait, parents with sick children (ear aches, bad colds, etc.) and others with minor complaints are often seen waiting in the emergency room as well. With the frequent deployment of Naval doctors and a shortage of civilian staff in the family practice and pediatric clinics, parents and other family members are often told to go to the ER when faced with a lack of regular or acute appointment openings. Also, since Summer is upon us, recruits will need to be seen for heat-related illnesses despite the drill instructors best efforts to keep everyone properly hydrated.

Routine emergencies for Marines, their family members, and recruits, plus sick children, construction and three les beds will undoubtedly could lead to agonizing waiting periods for the next month or so, however the following tips will help lessen the sting.

First, remember that if you need immediate treatment, TRICARE allows you to be seen in any emergent facility, not just a Naval hospital. TRICARE requests that you call them before being seen by a civilian facility, but from experience I know that doesn't matter, as long as you contact them as soon as practical. Besides, TRICARE's southern region office isn't open twenty-four hours, so don't even stress out about not being sick on their time.

Next, I've found that acute appointments are easily obtained if you call the hospital's appointment line as soon as they open at 7:30am. There's a good chance that a few people will cancel their appointments the day before, when reached by the automated appointment reminder system. When my children are sick enough to rate an acute appointment, and I call first thing in the morning, and they are almost always seen that same day. I have yet to go to the ER for a standard or acute appointment. Waking up a few minutes early in the morning could save you from spending hours in the ER, or keep you from taking up beds for others who need it more.

If you are truly ill and need to be seen immediately by the Naval Hospital's ER, don't fret. The triage desk is in place to prioritize all incoming complaints, and the worst off will be seen before everyone else.

Try not to get flustered by the waiting times, because in the end, the ER will have received an important piece of equipment that might one day help save your life. According to a release made by the Naval Hospital, the scanner should be in place by the end of August, 2008.