By Fay Abrahamsson, Courier Senior Staff Writer:
Starting Monday, July 7 starting at 7 a.m., the emergency
room at Yale New Haven Shoreline
Medical Center
on Goose Lane
will be open 24 hours.
The announcement was made public June 16 at a Board of
Selectmen’s meeting.
Center Director Steve Bencivengo said that when the clinic
opened in Guilford
in July 2004, they always envisioned that the emergency services department
would be open 24 hours as the use of the clinic and the surrounding population
grew.
“The use of emergency departments nationwide has grown,”
explained Bencivengo, who said that uninsured patients, who typically do not
have a regular physician, looks to the ER for their care.
When it first opened, the ER’s hours were limited, from 4
p.m. until midnight Monday to Friday, and from noon to midnight on weekends and
holidays.
Last summer, the hours were further extended so the clinic
was open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.
Hours of operation for other departments outside of
Emergency Services vary, said Bencivengo, but most are open from Monday to
Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It’s best to call ahead.
According to its website, the 80,000 square foot clinic
provides services including ambulatory surgery, childbirth preparation,
radiology, laboratory services, nuclear medicine, nutrition counseling,
endoscopy, and hospital pre-admission, among others.
Many physicians have offices at the clinic. Procedures performed at the clinic
include mammograms, knee arthroscopy, carpal tunnel, shoulder arthroscopy,
bunionectomy, hammer toe surgery, cosmetic surgery, colonoscopy, and upper
endoscopy, among others.