MADISON, Wis. — To aid patients and families in finding the correct entrance during urgent situations, the BerbeeWalsh Emergency Department at University Hospital now has its own dedicated address.
The new address is 1565 Highland Ave.
The change is intended to reduce confusion, improve wayfinding and ensure patients and families can access emergency care as quickly and easily as possible, according to Dr. Nicholas Kuehnel, pediatric emergency medicine physician, UW Health Kids, and vice chair of operations, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Since the inception of the hospital in 1979, the Emergency Department for adults and children shared the same address as the hospital’s main entrance. Over time, with the proliferation of GPS navigation systems, patients and visitors have sometimes been directed to the main hospital entrance on the east side of the nearly 2 million-square-foot facility, while the Emergency Department entrance is located on the west side of the hospital.
“University Hospital is an amazing facility with many amenities for patients, but it can be confusing for people who have not been there before,” Kuehnel said. “We have heard many stories of patients and their families having difficulty finding their way to the Emergency Department, which can add unnecessary stress during an already difficult situation.”
UW Health worked in partnership with the Village of Shorewood Hills and the Dane County Department of Planning and Development to secure the new address designation.