Emergency Department in Lafayette Reopens

Boulder Community Health reopened the Emergency Department at Community Medical Center (CMC) in Lafayette today — Tuesday, June 23, at 7 a.m.

BCH temporarily closed the Emergency Department at CMC in late March to centralize emergency medicine resources at the health system’s busiest location, Foothills Hospital in Boulder, which at the time was seeing the majority of people experiencing respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.

"The number of COVID-19 patients being treated at Foothills Hospital has been steadily declining, so we’ transitioning back to regular business throughout the organization, including moving staff back to CMC and reopening its Emergency Department to meet our community’s needs,” explains BCH Chief Medical Officer Ben Keidan, M.D.

Patients can once again visit the Emergency Department at CMC for the same range of medical services that were available prior to its temporary closure. Board-certified emergency medicine physicians will be available 24/7, 365 days a year to provide compassionate, expert care with full laboratory services and advanced imaging available.

Bolstered safety measures for added patient protection
Both of BCH’s Emergency Departments – CMC and Foothills Hospital – feature enhanced infection-prevention procedures for patients seeking attention for any urgent medical concern.

"We always have and will continue to adhere to stringent infection prevention protocols and safety measures to keep patients safe. If someone is experiencing emergency symptoms of any type, it’s both safe and necessary to get medical attention right away. Delaying treatment can turn a minor issue into a major problem," warns Keidan.

BCH has adopted new safety measures for added protection during the pandemic. Specifically, anyone entering the Emergency Department must wear a mask, answer COVID-19 related screening questions and have a temperature screening. Additionally, BCH has enhanced its cleaning protocols to include the regular cleaning of highly touched surfaces and high-traffic areas, as well as disinfecting exam rooms after every patient.

For more information, visit bch.org/emergency.