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Show U. Burn Unit; ' 6 YIoreDcik 1 A six-bed iniermountain burn unit will open in University at Utah Hospital in early spring, doubling the present unit's capacity. ACCORDING TO the unit s director. Dr. Chad Halversen. the present three-bed facility is maintaining a near 100 percent occupancy rate, and more beds must be provided lor the Iniermountain Region s bum victims. We've often been forced to turn down less critical burn patients and find treatment for them elsewhere." Dr. Halversen said. "But with six beds, we can accept more cases and provide the highly specialized care these patients pa-tients desperately need." THE expansion work, which is taking place in the hospital's hospi-tal's division of rehabilitation, rehabilita-tion, is being conducted by the medical center's engineering en-gineering department. The enlarged unit will be a prelude to a 10-bed burn and trauma center that is being planned in the overall medical center expansion. "But the 10-bed center won t be on line for another five or six years." Dr. Halversen said. THE PRESENT burn unit provides total care for the burn victim, the director not- "We have our. wOters, phvsicj an.a specially tr4r. ' ingnd physicians,..' '' "1 addition, i-. I locaon provide r. ." cessto the reka !' ' ; divism's facilities ' j THEJHREE BED - ' onginaly orgai! Fred C"hmg and Ear '. ' both olihe iepa,.; ' surgery,, n Narch Halverse, to 0i.. ,' visioa of tit n, --along --along with Di Bro''' its opening. he . treated S7 pal itts "Burn viuu, generally lor..!e., tients," Dr. Hae-y. "The average leij " four to six eiS ,' problems of finiij . space to treat a lr(..r of ptients frorr if....' the area are en. ", PVnEN7SHE,: the burn unit Inrr st J involved in tie r-' center's service in :, ing Idaho, Montuu i ing, Colorado, lyv,-; Utah. Burn vir n "j Arizona have also t ed in the unit. j |