LAKELAND, Fla. — Lakeland Regional Health (LRH) has repeatedly been ranked the second busiest emergency room department in the country. The hospital is expanding as Polk County continues to see explosive growth.
Kayla McLaughlin has seen it all while working as an ER nurse at Lakeland Regional for over a decade.
“In a typical shift we can see anywhere from the most traumatic event, multiple car accidents, gunshot wounds, stabbings, all the way to you fell and hurt your ankle,” Mclaughlin said.
Lakeland Regional saw 211,801 ER visits last year, making it the busiest in the nation, according to Becker's Hospital Review.
“Very stressful, it’s just a different type of personality, you have to work in the ER. It’s very fast paced,” Mclaughlin said.
Nobody plans a trip to the emergency room, but many patients who live in Polk County go to Lakeland Regional when an emergency happens. It is where Steve Sayers took his 88-year-old aunt after she fell.
“They had a full emergency room when we left, so they got their hands full,” said Sayers.
On average ER doctors at Lakeland Regional see 650 patients per day. This high patient traffic is partly attributed to LRH being the largest trauma center in Polk County and the lack of access to primary care.
On Monday, the hospital will open its freestanding emergency department in south Lakeland.
It will offer patients pediatric care and full access to diagnostic imaging, including CT scans, ultrasounds, and X-rays. It also has an on-site lab, with trained lab technicians.
"That means as a patient when you come in you are getting the most accurate test results in the emergency department, so your physician can really diagnose and care for you as best possible,” said Dr. Fred Blind, emergency department director Dr. Fred Blind.
Ambulances will be available 24/7 to transport patients who may need to be admitted to the hospital.
The goal is to improve access to healthcare and reduce the travel time for critical care.
"I learned that we are strong as a team, as a department."
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