IRON RIVER—Now that the first phase of the NorthStar Health System hospital renovation is nearly complete, it’s time for all of us to unlearn old habits and learn new ones.

That’s because the new entrances to the hospital are all finished and in full operation. So is the new emergency department, which has made the move into its new, more spacious facilities.

Changing our habits is not an option. The old entrances that patients and visitors have used over the years are now closed, and the hospital has put up temporary large signs with arrows, pointing to the two new entrances.

The main entrance is located in the middle of what used to be the main parking lot. If you are going to the hospital to have a blood test or an X-ray or some other outpatient service or to visit a patient, go to the main entrance.

The new emergency department has a separate entrance, near the north end of the hospital building. That’s where the ambulances will arrive, and it’s also where the walk-in clinic—now renamed Express Care—is located.

There is plenty of parking right outside the emergency department doors.

“All emergency department patients, whether they are emergency or Express Care, should enter through the emergency department lobby,” said Cindy Gurchinoff, emergency services manager. “The first impressionist will greet patients and family members as they arrive, and registered nurses will assess patients right away.”

The lobbies at both entrances are much larger and more comfortable than before the renovation. As promised, NorthStar Health Systems will have first impressionists at both entrances to help you find your destination.

The new main lobby opened June 19. “It’s beautiful inside,” said Lindsay Harmon, NorthStar’s director of marketing. “Eighteen-foot windows top to bottom, with access to all departments.”

Eric Beauchamp, diagnostic services manager, said a lot of planning preceded the construction. Hospital managers drafted a nine-page document that shows how each different scenario would work.

“We didn’t just construct this building,” he said. “It looks great, but it has to be functional. It has to be eye-appealing, with a nice waiting room—that takes the anxiety away from the patient. They can be more relaxed when they’re here.”

Beauchamp explained that the old hospital was built in the early 1970s, before networked computer systems, portable phones and pagers. “Those are all things we have implemented,” he said. Using a computerized scheduling system, the registration desk’s computer will notify the department’s computer that you have arrived for your procedure. “So it’s more functional—not only for staff members but for the patients.”

At the old hospital, each department and lab had its own tiny waiting room. Not anymore. With the new system, the first impressionist guides you to where you need to go—the registration desk, if you are coming in for an out-patient procedure. Then you wait in the lobby as that department’s computer will be notified.

When it’s your turn, a member of that department’s staff will guide you to the department, and the test is done immediately.

Soon, the hospital will be opening a gift shop right off the main lobby. It will be staffed by volunteers from the Hospital Auxiliary (which can always use more members). Also, a donor wall will eventually be built in the main lobby, to recognize people who have made donations to the hospital, at different levels.

The hospital’s cafeteria has been enlarged and transformed into a spacious meeting area, separated by a wall from the food serving area, making it a more relaxing place to sit and eat. Landscaping is still to be done, and an outdoor patio is planned next year. By the way, the cafeteria has free wi-fi, so you and your laptop can do a little work away from the desk.

The cafeteria also has areas that can be used for small meetings. “It’s a nice area for employees to relax and meet,” said Chief Executive Officer Bruce Rampage, “as opposed to a meeting room.”

The change to single occupancy rooms lowers the odds that infections can be spread. The hospital has 10 new single occupancy rooms—two in intensive care and eight regular patient rooms. In a future phase of the project, eight to 10 of the existing patient rooms may be converted.

The hospital will retain at least two double occupancy rooms for swing beds.

Scott Hagle, medical director of the emergency department, noted that the new department has private patient rooms and an area dedicated for Express Care patients. Some trained practitioners will be assigned to work in Express Care “to give them a better experience within our department.”

Changes in the emergency department, he said, mean, “They should experience a more private environment as well as a more efficient stay.”

In the end, it’s all about providing the best possible care to patients. Chief Executive Officer Bruce Rampage cited two recent cases where NorthStar Health System was highly praised for its emergency treatment.

Hospital officials in Marshfield, Wis., where one patient was transferred, “said that the emergency room did everything absolutely dead-on right. He would have gotten the same treatment in Marshfield as he had here. They are really, really impressed with the services.

“It’s not just a building. It’s everything that goes with it. Lives are being saved.”