Good Samaritan unveils newer ER

He said that after the $30 million expansion of the hospital’s ER, someone told him that “you’ve brought a Boston hospital to the South Shore.’’

The 32,000-square-foot space is more than double the size of the old ER, which had 12,000 square feet. Brand new are a two-bay trauma room; a cardiac-care room; a 64-slice CT scanner and X-ray suite; and 42 private rooms, including six fast-track bays. The private treatment rooms, with TVs and phones, do away with the old curtained cubicles, officials said, providing more confidentiality for patients and family members.

The new ER also has dedicated space for behavioral health, pediatric, and gynecological patients; an infectious disease isolation room; a decontamination unit; and a private work area for EMS providers.

Richard Herman, chairman of emergency medicine at the hospital, said the new ER was long needed because “the emergency department is the front door to the hospital, and our front door needed to be bigger and more welcoming.’’

The old ER opened in 1968 with an expected annual capacity of 25,000 visits. Over the last few years, that number has been 54,000. The new ER can accommodate about 60,000 visits a year, Herman said.

Good Samaritan is part of the Steward Health Care system and serves Brockton and 22 neighboring communities.

“The old ER wasn’t designed for our current high volume,’’ Herman said. “The focus was not on patient privacy and comfort. This is the kind of ER our community deserves.’’

Doctors, nurses, and ancillary health-care professionals will also find an improved environment, he said.

“The nursing staff is very excited about working in the new emergency department,’’ said Laura Raymond, registered nurse and patient-care director of the ER. “It’s a more aesthetically pleasing facility and gives us the space to do our work.’’

In another nod to aesthetics, Good Samaritan is collaborating with the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, which is creating a sculpture for the hospital to be installed near the children’s waiting area in the ER later this year, and with the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, which is lending the hospital art pieces annually for five years. The first is a work by Brockton artist Winston Breedy.

“That allows us to work with our neighbors, support the local economy and provide beautiful artwork that will lend its own healing touch to our patients,’’ said Monique Aleman, the hospital’s vice president of mission, community partnership, and communication.

EASTON WOMAN WINS HALL VISIT: Joyce M. Cummings of Easton won a VIP trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Eastern Bank’s Grand Slam sweepstakes, which included a package for four to the hall, $500 in cash, a personal tour of the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., a three-night hotel stay, and a family membership to the hall.

SACRED HEART PUBLICATIONS EARN HONORS: Sacred Heart High School in Kingston netted two awards from the Columbia National Press Association. The school’s 2010-2011 student newspaper, Heart Beat, under editors-in-chief Nathaniel Moore of Plymouth and Courtney Buohl of Bridgewater, received a gold medal award. Panoply, the high school’s arts and literature magazine, edited by Ellis Friedman of Plymouth, took a silver medal.

BUSINESS BRIEFS: John M. Greene, president of the ground-transportation company ETS International in Randolph, was awarded the Lupus Foundation New England’s 2011 Sustainer Award. The award recognizes Greene for his leadership and dedication to those living with lupus in New England, said Beverly Jarosz, director of development for the Lupus Foundation of New England. . . . Brian Sawyer of Taunton was promoted to director of marketing at Safer Places Inc. of Middleborough, a firm providing pre-employment screening, tenant screening, and security consulting. Sawyer previously was in charge of coordinating the company’s sales efforts. . . . Steven McCauley of Weymouth was named managing partner of the recently opened Fore River Grille in Weymouth. McCauley, a 17-year veteran of the restaurant industry, was general manager of Fours Boston and of Florentine Café in Boston’s North End. . . . Quincy-based Baystate Equipment Rental & Sales Company Inc. has opened a location in Plymouth, at 16 Hedges Pond Road, said Kevin Dooley, company president. He said the site was added to give greater accessibility to customers in the Cape Cod area. . . . Weymouth MRI has sold its practice to Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Inc. The former owners of Weymouth MRI continue to own and develop their own imaging center, SeaCoast Advanced Diagnostic Imaging in Plymouth, said Robert Mortensen, SeaCoast’s chief executive, and will continue to operate as an independent, free-standing MRI center. . . . Jacqueline Collins of Abington, principal in the company Partnering for Performance, was named to the South Shore Chamber of Commerce’s ATHENA PowerLink governing body. The chamber is the only group in New England offering ATHENA PowerLink, a business-mentoring program designed to increase growth and profitability of women-owned businesses, chamber officials said. Prior to starting her company, Collins worked in Fleet Financial Group as director of quality management for Fleet Retirement Plan Services.

Paul E. Kandarian can be reached at kandarian@globe.com.