September 8 — After more than a month of testing equipment and training staff, Mercy Medical Center – West Lakes opened today as West Des Moines’ first full-service community hospital.
Located at 1601 60th Street, Mercy West Lakes opened at 12:01 a.m. following the closure of Mercy Capitol just before midnight on Sept. 7.
Residents wasted little time in trying out the care delivered by the hospital’s board-certified physicians, nurses and staff. Mercy West Lakes’ first patient was treated in the Emergency Room at 12:22 a.m. for a sprained ankle. The patient, who was a West Des Moines resident, indicated knowing she could receive the care she needed and the convenience of the location led to her decision. Since midnight, nine patients have been treated in Emergency. None were admitted.
The 239,000-square-foot, $99.8 million replacement hospital for Mercy Capitol has a full day of surgical procedures scheduled. Some of those patients will be admitted and will spend the first night in the state-of-the-art medical facility.
Mercy West Lakes Administrator Dan Aten managed the construction of the hospital. Now he’s ready to switch to a familiar role — running the medical center. “You could feel the excitement build as we approached midnight,” said Aten. “All of the planning, major construction and training had been completed and our doctors and nurses were ready to put their medical expertise to work. I’m sure we’ll have some learning to do as we get accustomed to a new building and patient numbers but this is the fun part. We think residents served by this hospital will receive access to some of the best health care services available.”
Mercy West Lakes will offer a full array of services — including 24-hour emergency services, birthing services, surgery, cardiovascular services and orthopaedics through the Mercy Center for Joint Replacement. Patients will also benefit from the specialized care available downtown at Mercy’s Central Campus. The facility is licensed for 146 beds.
Patients who wish to use Mercy West Lakes for their care should coordinate that with their doctor. If a patient is in need of additional specialty services after their arrival, they will be transferred to the Mercy Central Campus downtown. Transfers can be done by area EMS providers or Mercy Ambulance. Mercy One medical helicopter service is also available by making use of a helipad on the roof of the hospital.
