FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Health care along the Eastern Shore just moved to the next level. The new, more spacious and better equipped Thomas Hospital Emergency Department opened early Tuesday morning, leaving behind cramped quarters in the last remaining part of the original 1960s-era structure.

“It means we have a facility that’s here for future growth,” Phil Cusa, hospital administrator, said. “We have a state-of-the-art emergency room and equipment right here in Fairhope.”

Those needing immediate care will find many improvements in the new 35,000-square-foot emergency department, including two triage rooms with two bays each, two trauma rooms with two stations in each, a dedicated radiology room, eight rapid treatment rooms for minor injuries, four rooms devoted to patients reporting chest pain and two rooms with private showers for victims of sexual assault.

A total of 28 exam and treatment rooms are capable of handling up to 40,000 patients annually. Cusa said the old building had a maximum capacity of around 27,000 emergency visits each year.

Separate waiting rooms, historic paintings and vintage photographic history displays round out the new E.R.

“We are thankful to the Fairhope Single Tax Corp. (FSTC) for the historical exhibit in the emergency room,” said Owen Bailey, Infirmary Health System (IHS) vice president of community and governmental affairs. “It’s a unique and beautiful feature of the facility that the community will be very proud of for years to come. Dean Mosher’s work on that exhibit is phenomenal.”

The four-story, 130,500-square-foot addition was designed by Gresham, Smith and Partners and built by Hoar Construction. Work on the facility began in the summer of 2007.

Cusa credits the two companies, along with IHS (the hospital’s parent organization) and community partners for making the expansion possible.

Among those who heavily invested in the hospital’s future, he said, were FSTC, which donated $500,000 toward construction; Chris Myers Auto Mall, the more than 400 volunteer members of the Thomas Hospital Auxiliary, Senior Bowl Charities, the Jack Kendrick family and the Thomas Hospital Foundation.

“The opening of this new facility represents a commitment to better health care for the community,” said Marion E. “Tut” Wynne, chairman of the hospital advisory board. Noting the health care provider had limited resources prior to joining forces with IHS, he added, “We were struggling to figure out how to spend $18 million. With Infirmary Health System, we were able to put $40 million into this facility. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Bailey said, “It’s a very exciting day for the community. This space has been needed for a while now. We outgrew the present facility. A lot of people have worked very hard to make this dream a reality.”

The hospital is currently licensed by the state for 150 beds, Cusa said, and this net gain of 12 beds brings Thomas to that level. Older beds on the opposite end of the campus will be closed, and the space reconfigured for other use.

“With these additional beds, we’re going to be more efficient,” said Dr. Michael McBrearty, vice president of medical affairs at Thomas and a physician in private practice. Referring to problems related to the juggling of emergency room patients awaiting rooms, he added, “It had been an unbelievable chess game.”

The building’s ground floor houses the emergency room, while the second (cardiac) and third (oncology) floors in the new wing contain a total of 64 patient rooms that will open March 29.

The fourth floor was shelled in, ready for future expansion. Cusa said, “As the need arises, we’ll be able to grow with the community.”

The new upstairs rooms were designed with patients and their families in mind. Each contains a daybed for overnight visitors, a flat-screen television, a hospital bed with built-in scales, a spacious roll-in shower, two-way bathroom door, a colorful print by an area artist, standardized work station for nurses and large windows to allow in natural light.

Both floors have two negative-pressure isolation rooms each, with outer rooms providing a place for medical personnel and visitors to change into sterile gowns and masks before entering.

Bailey said, “We’ve got an excellent team, and they ran out of space. I’m excited for the team because they’ll have space to grow. We’ve been able to bring this facility to the community through Thomas’ partnership with Infirmary Health System.”

The hospital employees around 1,200 in Fairhope. Wynne said they are aided by a 136-member medical staff and more than 100 consulting physicians. He added, “Without that staff, the hospital would be out of business.”

A dozen additional full-time employees have been hired to help staff the new wing so far, according to Cusa, and more will be added later as the community continues to grow.

“I can’t say enough about the positive impact the Thomas Hospital Foundation has had on the growth of the hospital for the last 15 years,” said Bailey, who once served as Thomas’ president and CEO. “Under Kathy Baugh’s outstanding leadership and the commitment of so many dedicated volunteers, they have had a big impact on the hospital’s growth.”

Wynne agrees. He said, “The Thomas Hospital Foundation has served the hospital for years, and their efforts have raised a lot of money.”

Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant said, “Working together is the way you get things done in the city of Fairhope. It takes not just good leaders, but the volunteers who work together. By making sure health care is strong in Fairhope, we keep Fairhope strong for the future.”