Emergency, imaging, and pharmacy to serve all Iowans

The North Liberty campus will include an emergency department that sees patients of all ages with the same types of emergent conditions treated at UI Health Care’s university and downtown campuses. 

The emergency department will be home to a Level 4 trauma center, providing comprehensive emergency care, including advanced trauma and life support, typically in preparation for transfer to the university campus for tertiary-level care and a broader range of surgical, specialty, and subspecialty services. The North Liberty ED will feature 14 care rooms, including two rooms for behavioral health patients, as needed; a designated trauma and resuscitation room; hazmat space for patients needing decontamination from exposure to hazardous materials; and an isolation room for patients with infectious diseases or who are susceptible to infection from other patients or medical personnel.

The North Liberty ED will use a team triage approach implemented used by emergency medicine staff at the university campus. The new system features a specially designed triage space that will enhance workflows and space allocation so that patients are seen sooner and more efficiently. 

The pharmacy at the North Liberty campus will manage all inpatient, operating room, and outpatient needs while also providing an accessible space—and a 24/7 drive-thru option—for community members to fill prescriptions and purchase over-the-counter medications. 

For inpatients, pharmacy services includes meds-to-beds prescription filling, which delivers patients’ medications directly to their bedside before they are discharged—eliminating the need to make an additional stop after leaving the hospital. Patients also may pick up their medications and durable medical equipment (DME) items at the pharmacy pickup window, located directly next to the discharge lounge.

The 24/7 drive-thru option allows patients to pick up their prescriptions outside of pharmacy lobby hours. It’s one of only two pharmacies in the area offering around-the-clock access, the other being the discharge pharmacy at UI Health Care’s medical center on the university campus.

The North Liberty campus will offer a range of advanced diagnostic imaging services—giving patients another option and greater convenience when it comes to getting a scan for diagnostic or treatment-related purposes. The imaging services are not limited to orthopedic patients; any UI Health Care patients may choose to schedule a scan at North Liberty.

Imaging technology at the North Liberty campus includes X-ray, MRI, ultrasound, EOS (2D/3D X-ray imaging that is optimal for full-body images frequently used for scoliosis and leg alignment assessments), fluoroscopy, EKG, DEXA (a scan that measure bone density), and CT (computed tomography), which includes a photon-counting CT scanner—one of only two of its kind in clinical use in Iowa;  the other such scanner is located at UI Health Care’s university campus. Photon-counting CT produces the highest-resolution CT images.

The North Liberty facility will be staffed by radiology technologists as well as subspecialized radiologists who are trained to interpret imaging results and provide guidance on treatment.