Beloit Health System opposes Planning Commission’s decision to approve signage for Mercy Health ED

Beloit Health System along with Dr. Andrew Dean, the Emergency Medical Director for the Stateline Regional EMS which provides medical direction for 6 area EMS services including the City of Beloit Fire Department and the Emergency Medical Director and Chair for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Beloit Memorial Hospital, is disappointed that the planning commission did not support the City Staff’s recommendation to deny Mercy Health’s exceptions to the outdoor sign regulations.

The Planning Commission’s staff recommendation states that the exceptions requested by Mercy Health to the outdoor sign regulations should be denied due to the excessive sign area, height, and size proposed. Dr. Dean is echoing this recommendation, citing quality-of-care concerns as the primary reason.

"The proposed excessive signage will confuse the public about the differences between the Emergency Department proposed by Mercy Health and the Emergency Department on the Beloit Memorial Hospital's campus," said Dr. Dean. "The Emergency Department proposed by Mercy Health does not provide the same level of services as those provided in the hospital's Emergency Department. This is a serious concern for our Community, especially when every second counts in emergency situations. We are a level III Trauma Center, the highest in the county, backed by specialists to provide life saving care. Their facility does not and may compromise care to our Community when a delay in care occurs.”

One significant difference between the two EDs is the availability of a Cardiac Catheterization laboratory (Cath lab) on the hospital's campus. If a patient with a serious cardiac condition presents at the Mercy Health ED, it is likely that the patient will need to be transferred to a hospital with a Cath lab and other high-level resources, which is not desirable in emergency situations where time is of the essence.

Other differences between the two EDs include:

Lack of immediate availability of specialized equipment and services, such as stroke care and trauma care.
Reduced capacity for patient care and full emergency treatment.
Limited access to advanced services such as an operating room.

"We need to ensure that our community has access to high-quality, full-service emergency care, and excessive signage will only serve to confuse patients and undermine our ability to provide the best possible care," Said Dr. Dean
Beloit Health System is committed to providing high-quality emergency care to the people of Beloit and the surrounding communities.