Queen of the Valley’s New Rapid Care Unit provides faster care for less-urgent medical needs

You’re chopping vegetables when you cut open your finger with a sharp new knife. Your first instinct is to go to the emergency room (ER), but you don’t want to wait several hours for treatment. Maybe you’ll patch it up yourself – but what if you need stitches or antibiotics?

If you live near Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, you won’t have to decide between the emergency room and make-do home care. In September 2024, the medical center opened a new rapid care unit located within the existing emergency department. The Napa Valley Vintners Rapid Care Unit (as it’s called in recognition of the association’s lead philanthropic support to develop the unit), features seven treatment bays designed for fast and efficient treatment of less-critical patients. All patients in need of urgent or emergency care are instructed to go to the emergency department, where staff then determine if they should be seen in the rapid care unit.

Dr. Nick Lopez, medical director of the emergency department at Queen of the Valley, says the rapid care unit will ease the burden on the ER, which typically treats 30,000 people every year.

“The idea with rapid care is to provide a place for those with minor emergencies who might otherwise have to wait a long time,” Lopez says. “Not only do these patients get faster care, but the rapid care unit reduces traffic in the main ER as well.”

More importantly, it will help bring in those patients who might be tempted to skip a trip to the hospital altogether, Lopez adds: “We’re hoping that, with time, people will realize they can come in to get the fast care they need.”

Patients are not the only ones who appreciate the new unit. Staff are also happy about being able to deliver care more quickly.

“No one likes to make patients wait,” says Katie Potter, nurse manager for the Queen of the Valley emergency department. “A backup in the ER increases the stress for everyone. Now that we have a dedicated space to treat less serious patients, our team has the satisfaction of getting them in and out quickly, which feels great to us and our patients.”

There’s a wide range of injuries and conditions that the rapid care unit is equipped to handle, Potter explains, allowing patients to spare themselves additional pain and complications. For example, joint sprains and strains, sore throats, kids with fevers, minor wound care and sexually transmitted infections, to name a few.

Preparing for Now-Common Events Like Wildfires

Since Queen of the Valley is Napa County’s only Level III Trauma Center, the extra capacity for the community was sorely needed. In addition to the typical patient traffic, Queen of the Valley’s emergency department has to be prepared to handle people affected by local disasters.

“We have wildfires nearly every year here now, and we also have to be prepared for the next earthquake,” Lopez says. The 2014 Napa earthquake provided practical lessons for how to treat and triage common health issues, he adds, as did the Glass Fire in 2020.

If similar events occur, the rapid care unit “helps us see patients in a more organized fashion,” Lopez says. “In the case of fires, for example, we can see more of our asthma patients in rapid care to get them the respiratory treatment they need quickly,” he adds.

Towards a Better, Faster ER Experience

While the rapid care unit has only been open for about two months, early results are promising. Between opening day and the end of October, satisfaction scores from emergency department patients nearly doubled and the “left without being seen” (LWBS) metric, an important one for ERs, is down about 2% since the rapid care unit opened. “That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s a big deal,” Lopez says.

In addition, the average “length of stay” (LOS), or the time spent at the ER, is also down. “That means the rapid care unit is handling more of the burden,” Lopez says. That’s good news for all Queen of the Valley emergency department patients.

About Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center

The largest healthcare facility and one of the largest employers in Napa County, Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center is a 208-bed acute care facility located in the city of Napa. Services provided include a regional heart center; orthopedic center and cancer center approved with commendations by the American College of Surgeons; the Peggy Herman Neuroscience Center, a neurosurgery program affiliated with UCSF; a Women’s Center; maternity and infant care; inpatient and outpatient minimally invasive surgery; and a full-service emergency department and trauma center, amongst many other specialty services. Queen of the Valley is dedicated to bringing Napa Valley residents the best care possible, close to home.