Business

Roane Medical Center has cut its emergency department wait times nearly in half, beating the national benchmark of 45 minutes set by the American College of Emergency Physicians.   

“We call it door-to-doctor times,” said Dr. Bennie Whitehead, Roane Medical Center’s emergency room medical director. “It’s the time from which a patient arrives at the hospital and is triaged until he or she sees a doctor or mid-level care provider.”

Karen Coaker, a chemistry technical specialist in the laboratory at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, has been named MMCer of the Month for November.

Coaker has been with Methodist since 2000. Prior to her current position, Coaker was the midnight shift supervisor in the lab.

“I am deeply honored by this award, and I am very proud to work with excellent co-workers who are also my family,” she said.

In her current position, Coaker leads the chemistry department within the lab.

More than 300 supporters of The Roane Alliance turned out Nov. 4 for its 10th annual Gala, which Alliance officials and supporters are boasting as its “best ever.”

“One of the most gratifying parts about this year’s Gala is how much support we got, even though times have been tough for many of us,” said Leslie Henderson, president/CEO of The Roane Alliance.

“We had a record number of donors this year and more table sponsors than we’ve had for years,” she added.

Justin Overton works to finish construction on the Gas N’ Go station at Harriman Food City. Representatives on site said Friday they expect the new express fuel center to be completed within the next two weeks.