Thousands of people in Delaware County are now closer to top of the line, life-saving medical care.

Delaware Valley Hospital in Walton recently opened a brand new emergency department.

It offers better patient care, closer to home.

This is the new emergency department at Delaware Valley Hospital in Walton.

It took 7 and a half million dollars and one year to build.

The facility includes updated equipment, and also more space and patient privacy.

"This is the biggest, the best, the most outstanding change we have ever had" said Mary Doig, Nursing Director of Delaware Valley Hospital.

The new emergency department is 8-times bigger than the old facility, expanding from 1-thousand square feet to 8-thousand.

There's seven beds, including four trauma units.

Also, the hospital's imaging center was renovated and state of the art equipment was installed.

The center offers cat-scans, bone density tests and mammograms.

These new improvements could attract new patients.

"If they see a facility that does not look modern, does not look competent, They may not even try it. They may drive past it," said David Polge, President of Delaware Valley Hospital.

The hospital serves a wide scope, an area of 25-thousand people.

In the past, it lost patients to bigger, more advanced hospitals.

But now, hospital staff hopes people stay in the area and receive care closer to home.

"We've made these improvements. We're here to serve them, and that's always been our goal...to serve the community the best we can and now we have these facilities that will help us do that even more," said David Polge President of Delaware Valley Hospital.

Delaware Valley Hospital's new emergency department and imaging center are both open and accepting patients.

Earlier in the day, Delaware Valley Hospital hosted an opening celebration for its new emergency department and imaging center.