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# Saint John's Expands Fast Track to 10 Beds to Cut ER Wait Times
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/072606-story/
- Published: 2006-07-26T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T19:04:53.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Health, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

The days of endless hours waiting in the emergency room are over at a local hospital. Saint John’s Health Center has introduced its expanded emergency department’s Fast Track Service, adjacent to the health center’s emergency department.

The expansion of Fast Track enables patients with minor injuries and illnesses to receive care more quickly in treatment rooms dedicated to patients with cuts, bruises, coughs and colds, hospital officials said. Fast Track has been expanded from three beds to 10.

“We believe people should receive care as quickly as possible. This expansion will reduce wait times,” said Russ Kino, M.D., medical director of the emergency department. “At the same time, this expansion will enable us to handle many more paramedic runs, getting the paramedics in, unloaded and back out into the community far more rapidly.”

Fast Track operates every day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. A feature of the emergency department is a triage process where patients are screened when entering to determine whether they require true emergency care or should be sent to Fast Track for non-emergent, and often faster, care.

Since establishing Fast Track, patients who use the service are seen, treated and discharged in less than an hour after entering the emergency department. Patients with true emergencies — most of the more severe conditions — are discharged in an average of two hours, hospital officials said. Elderly exempt from tax

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 26, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/072606.pdf?ref=smdp.com)