One ambulance going by is a head-turner.

A caravan of ambulances stops you in your tracks.

Imagine the scene in Elgin all day long this Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009, when a fleet of ambulances transports patients, one by one, from the current Sherman Hospital on Center Street in downtown Elgin to the new 255-bed, 645,000-square-foot hospital at 1425 N. Randall Road, just south of I-90.

The hospital is the first built in more than a decade in Kane County. It opens to patients at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. This is your guide to covering this historic day.

You can capture the scene by talking to patients, including the first one moved into the new hospital, and hospital employees and leaders who have been planning the move for many months.

What follows are a media timeline for activities at the new and old hospital sites and details and instructions about this historic day.

Media Timeline:

6:30 a.m.
934 Center Street Campus (current hospital)
Visual: Ambulances lining up to transfer patients
Interview: Kelly Tarpey, Move Day Commander, is available to talk about the months of preparation that led to the move and the hospital’s detailed planning process for the Move Day.

7 a.m. to 8 a.m.
934 Center Street Campus (current hospital)
Visual: Hospital and ambulance personnel load the first patient into an ambulance shortly after 7 a.m. Several patients will follow, each in an ambulance. (Please be aware that media are not allowed access to the emergency room exit, where critical care patients will leave throughout the day).

7 a.m. to 8 a.m.
1425 Randall Campus (new hospital)
Visual: Hospital personnel greet the first patient to arrive at the new hospital shortly after 7:10 a.m., with several patients arriving shortly thereafter. (Please be aware that media are not allowed access to the emergency room entrance, where critical care patients will arrive throughout the day).

10 a.m.
1425 Randall Campus (new hospital)
Interviews: Find out how the Move Day is going during a media update at 10 a.m. (see attached map) with:

• Rick Floyd, CEO, Sherman Health.
• Jeanne Venella, Director of Emergency Department
• Joan Kanute, Move Day Sub-Commander

We also will accommodate requests to speak with doctors during the 10am media briefing.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1425 Randall Campus (new hospital)
Visual: Patients and staff get acclimated to new Sherman Hospital, with the last transferred patient expected to arrive at about 5 p.m. We’ll keep you updated on when significant events take place during Sherman’s first day of operation.

Details and instructions about the move:

You can cover the move from two locations – the 934 Center St. Campus in downtown Elgin and the new location at 1425 Randall Road, just south of I-90.

At 7 a.m. Dec. 15 the new hospital officially opens and ambulances will start transporting patients there. You can arrive as early as 6 a.m. at the Center Street Campus to witness a logistical feat that involves hundreds of patients and staff.

Reporters, photographers and TV cameras are welcome on both Sherman Hospital campuses on Dec. 15. Because patient care is our first priority, we do have some guidelines and ask you to work closely with us:

• Media liaisons will accompany you and help you obtain the interviews and images you need.
• We want to make sure photographers and videographers get the best angles possible without interfering with patients and hospital personnel, so we have designated media areas near the exit of the Center Street Campus and the entrance to the Randall Road location.
• It will be easy to spot the patients who have given permission to be photographed or interviewed – all of them will have green Sherman blankets.
• To make it easier on you and hospital staff, we ask that you enter and exit in designated areas (please see map that accompanies this release). If a media liaison is not available when you arrive at the Center Street campus entrance or the new hospital entrance, please call Michelle Howe, 847-910-2620 or Josh McColough, 773-398-7487.