Effective now, the access road that runs behind Beaufort Memorial Hospital, used primarily for service and delivery vehicles, will be closed to all but authorized traffic for the duration of the hospital’s 14-month emergency room expansion project. A gated security guard station will be staffed Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed all other hours. Emergency access after-hours can be obtained by calling 522-5200 for the hospital operator, who will contact a security guard to open the gate. Parking is expected to become more challenging during the construction period and the hospital will be running shuttles during high-traffic operating hours to assist patients and visitors. In addition, the existing ER entrance will be restricted to ambulance traffic. Patients and visitors will need to use the main or south hospital (Birthing Center/Surgery Center) entrances to access the ER and its waiting area. The $14.5-million renovation will more than double the size of the Level 3 ER, and will help the hospital meet the community’s increasing demand for emergency medical services. Beaufort Memorial’s emergency department visits currently total nearly 40,000 a year. To learn more about the ER expansion, visit www.bmhsc.org.