DALLAS — The final patient was moved from the old Parkland hospital to the new facility Friday, a full day ahead of scheduled, according to Parkland CEO Fred Cerise.
Over 600 patients were moved safely to the new facility over a 48-hour span, he said. The final patients were moved out of the cardiac care unit, which was the last unit open at the old facility. The last patient was moved around 4:30 p.m.
"The fact that we can make this move on full day ahead of schedule is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the thousands of Parkland employees," Cerise said at a 4 p.m. news conference Friday.
Forty-four inpatient units were moved between the facilities, according to Alex Eastman, the chief of the Rees-Jones trauma center.
It was a busy transition for Parkland. Eastman provided a list of "firsts" for the new hospital within its first 48 hours of operation.
First craniectomy for an aneurysm
First hybrid vascular case in the new hybrid operating room
First cornea transplant was completed Friday
The first emergent general surgeries, including gall bladder, abdominal washouts and the first complex pelvic fracture repair.
The first baby was delivered at 9:40 a.m. Thursday, the hospital wrote on Twitter. Less than 20 minutes after the new emergency room opened, a stroke patient arrived via ambulance, the hospital added in another tweet.
"It's a very busy day here, but it's absolutely business as usual," Eastman said.
Eastman said the plan for the move was in the works for over a year. The only glitches were minor computer issues and "finicky" elevators, he said, but none threatened the safety of any patients.
