EMERYVILLE, CA – CEP America, one of the nation's largest providers of emergency department (ED) management and staffing solutions, has announced the addition of Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Ill., to its list of hospital emergency departments throughout the U.S.

The signed contract is effective November 16, 2009 and is the latest emergency department partnership in 2009.

“All of us at CEP America are pleased and excited about our new partnership with Sherman Hospital, a well-respected medical institution in the Chicago area,” stated Wes Curry MD, Chief Executive officer of CEP America. “We look forward to working with Sherman to provide the highest levels of clinical expertise, operational performance, and quality emergency care to the greater Elgin region.”

Frank Pangallo MD has been named Medical Director for the emergency department. Sherman now becomes CEP America’s second Chicagoland hospital partner in 2009, joining MacNeal Hospital's emergency department in Berwyn, Illinois.

Since 1975, CEP America has successfully developed emergency department solutions that improve performance and patient satisfaction. Utilizing the partnership’s Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME) program, the average time-to-provider wait at partner hospitals is 20 minutes below the national norm.

In addition to the emergency department contract at Sherman, the new agreement with CEP America includes staffing the hospital’s four immediate care centers that treat a combined patient volume greater than 100,000 per year.

Located approximately 40 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, Sherman is currently a 353-bed medical facility – one of the largest medical facilities in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. The emergency department is a 24-hour Level II Trauma Center that treats over 40,000 patients a year. The emergency staff includes board-certified physicians specially trained in emergency medicine and certified trauma nurse specialists. The ED is also certified as an Emergency Department Approved for Pediatrics (EDAP).

New facility opens December, 2009

On December 15th, a new “green” Sherman Hospital, located at the corner of Randall and Big Timber Roads in Elgin, will be complete. Built to meet the healthcare needs of the growing community, the building is designed with an eye toward the future, including a Heart and Vascular Center with state-of-the-art equipment, improved emergency facilities, and a new Birthing Center. The new hospital will also feature an energy-producing, geothermal lake – the largest geothermal system in Illinois – that will heat and cool the hospital, saving an estimated $1 million per year in energy costs.

Founded in 1975, CEP America now provides emergency medical department management services for 62 hospitals in seven states including Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.