There has been no shortage of people to care for since Northeast ER opened May 7.

The free-standing, 24/7 emergency facility at 12793 Holly St. in north Thornton has averaged 18.5 patients per day, said Chief Nursing Officer Erica Rossitto.

“It’s all over the map; we’ve seen everything” from orthopedic to critical care, Rossitto said.

“It’s been reassuring we’ve had patient volume,” said Jennifer Alderfer, North Suburban Medical Center CEO. She said she expects to see the patient volume increase as officials predict the area will experience a 34 percent growth in the next five years.

“This area has been underserved by having access to emergency services.”

Northeast ER is an offshoot of North Suburban Medical Center, which is at 92nd Avenue and Grant Street. Alderfer said that location is a 25-minute drive for some residents in north Thornton. That time doesn’t include response time if the patient is picked up by an ambulance.

Northeast ER is staffed with board-certified physicians and emergency-trained nurses. It features on-site imaging services, including CT, ultrasound, digital X-ray and immediate reporting by radiologists; full-service. Its on-site lab is staffed by clinical lab scientists, and it has 10 private patient rooms, two of which are dedicated to pediatric care.

Rossitto said that 27 percent of the patients who have come to the ER in the first week and a half were children.

Another device the ER staff has available to it is a telemedicine camera that can be pushed into any room and allow a specialist off site to consult with a patient.

Outside is a helipad, and ER partners with AirLife to transport critical patients to hospitals.

Some area residents were initially concerned about helicopter noise, Rossitto said, but “it doesn’t live here. It only comes here if there’s an emergent patient that needs transporting.”

The facility also offers privacy for patients being brought in by ambulance; the bay area is separated from the public entrance and waiting-room area.

The 10,000-square-foot building sits on nearly 9 acres at the southeast corner of Holly and 128th Avenue. Officials are planning to build medical-office buildings and an ambulatory surgical center at the Northeast ER campus.