Portions of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital emergency department to close for 18 months due to renovation work

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Portions of the emergency department at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital will be closed for 18 months beginning on Feb. 28 due to a new renovation project.

Cottage spokeswoman Maria Zate said that staff are "prepared to manage and adapt" workflows in the reconfigured space.

To prepare for the renovation, patients and visitors will use a new entrance beginning Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 6 a.m.

The location of the emergency department will not change, and the new entry will remain accessible from the same parking lot as the previous entrance, according to Zate.

Staff will be onsite to assist patients and visitors arriving for care, she added.

The renovation work is meant to increase capacity at the emergency department and serve growing community needs, according to Zate.

When the work is complete, the emergency department will have a new care model with custom-designed space for improved workflows and increased efficiencies, she said.