North Liberty campus preview: Emergency Department
New facility a major component in expanding access to emergency care
When it opens in spring 2025, University of Iowa Health Care’s North Liberty medical campus will offer greater access and convenience for patients and families needing emergency medical care.
The North Liberty campus will include a 24/7 Emergency Department providing emergency care for patients of all ages.
“The Emergency Department at North Liberty will treat the same types of patients with the same spectrum of disease that we currently see at our university and downtown campus locations,” says Hans House, MD, clinical professor and director of emergency medicine services at the North Liberty campus. “We will be ready for patients of all ages, including children. I think this will be a welcome option for the families living in the area, especially in North Liberty, Tiffin, and Coralville. And since we are located right off I-380, anyone living in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor will have easy access to the North Liberty campus.”
Key aspects of the North Liberty Emergency Department:
- 14 emergency care rooms, including two rooms designated for behavioral health patients, as needed
- Board-certified emergency physicians and nurses and advanced practice providers specially trained in emergency medicine
- Designated trauma and resuscitation room
- Hazmat space for patients needing decontamination from exposure to hazardous materials
- Isolation room for patients with infectious diseases, or patients who are susceptible to infection from other patients or medical personnel
A Level 4 Trauma Center
Once completed, the Emergency Department at North Liberty will be home to a Level 4 Trauma Center as verified by the American College of Surgeons, which evaluates trauma centers nationwide in terms of staffing, resources, technologies, and available services.
A Level 4 center provides comprehensive emergency care, including advanced trauma care and life support—typically in preparation for transfer to a facility that provides tertiary-level care and a broader scope of surgical, specialty, and subspecialty services.
At the North Liberty campus, emergency patients requiring this higher level of care will be transferred to UI Health Care’s university campus, which is home to a Level 1 Trauma Center for adult and pediatric patients. In some cases, patients may be transferred to UI Health Care’s downtown campus, which has a Level 3 Trauma Center.
Emergency care not limited to orthopedic injuries
While the UI Health Care North Liberty campus will serve as the new home for the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, the Emergency Department (ED) will be open to any patient needing any type of emergency treatment, notes Ali Harmon, MSN, RN, director of emergency medicine and transport services in the Department of Emergency Medicine.
“This will be a fully functional Emergency Department with the same equipment, technologies, and capabilities available at the downtown campus ED. It will be available to anyone needing emergency treatment,” Harmon says. “The North Liberty ED won’t include all the specialty care teams on-site that we have on the university campus. That’s really what impacts a trauma center’s level designation. For patients who come to the North Liberty ED needing subspecialty care, we’ll transfer those patients to the university campus or downtown campus, depending on the care they need.”
In addition to the Emergency Department and orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation services, the North Liberty campus will include a walk-in clinic—with weekday, evening, and Saturday morning hours—for patients with bone, joint, and muscle injuries.
North Liberty location—and university campus expansion—to bring more access, greater convenience for patients
The construction of the North Liberty campus coincides with a construction project—now about halfway completed—to expand the Emergency Department on UI Health Care’s university campus.
The university campus expansion includes the addition of 13 emergency beds—bringing the total at the university location to almost 60 beds—as well as new triage areas for pediatric and behavioral health emergencies, plus additional space to support the emergency team’s capabilities.
With the Emergency Department expansion on the university campus scheduled for completion in spring 2025, along with emergency medicine services available at UI Health Care’s downtown campus, the addition of the Emergency Department at the North Liberty campus means that patients soon will have even greater access to emergency medicine services as part of the broader UI Health Care system.
“It’s about meeting the needs of the community, area, and region,” says Andrew Nugent, MD, MHA, clinical professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. “Getting timely, expert care is extremely important to patients and families—and to our Emergency Department teams. With expanded access and enhanced triage and workflow processes, patients and families can feel confident knowing they’ll receive high-quality emergency care at any of our soon-to-be three Emergency Department locations.”
