OLOL Livingston to open Wednesday

Our Lady of the Lake Livingston, which Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center says is the state’s first freestanding emergency room, is set to open at 11 a.m. Wednesday just off Interstate 12 in Walker. A freestanding ER is open to the public 24 hours a day and staffed to handle urgent and emergent medical conditions. “This innovative model extends the presence of a major medical center in Baton Rouge by adding nearby access to emergency care, diagnosis and treatment provided by the same emergency doctors and nurses who are an extended part of the OLOL team,” says OLOL CEO Scott Wester. OLOL Livingston will have the same personnel expertise and diagnostic equipment available at the OLOL main campus on Essen Lane. Other outpatient services offered at OLOL Livingston include a lab; imaging services such as CT, ultrasound, X-ray and MRI; and physician offices. Appointments are not needed for patients to be seen by staff. If a patient has to be admitted to a hospital, ambulances will be on hand to immediately bring them to one. According to the American Hospital Association, freestanding emergency rooms are located in only 16 other states. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on-site at 9 a.m. Wednesday before the facility opens to the public.