On Oct. 29, the hospital's highly acclaimed Trauma 1 emergency center will be transferred to the new Intermountain Medical Center. There will be no helicopters based at the hospital, and many of the specialized-care units will have moved.

That morning, 12 ambulances will line up at the hospital's emergency room entrances on Eighth Avenue and D Street to begin transporting an estimated 50 acutely ill patients to the new hospital, which is more centrally located. The transport is expected to be complete by late afternoon. Neighbors may also notice some tents set up to maintain patient privacy.

Despite the big move, hospital Administrator Mikelle Moore says day-to-day patient care will remain virtually unchanged. Though the number of available beds is expected to drop from approximately 470 to an expected 212, she adds, most of the hospital's services will remain intact.

Moore also wants to reassure patients who may be worried about continued care from their physician at LDS Hospital.

"The difference really is for trauma patients, transplant patients, open-heart surgery patients who [typically] don't make their own decisions about where they receive care," she says. "It's decided in the moment . . . those patients will be cared for at Intermountain Medical Center. For the most part, physicians are not moving."

Moore explains that LDS is adjusting its focus to "be our neighborhood's hospital." She says that the new focus will include emergency care, maternity, general surgery and cancer care.

The hospital also will be offering some specialty services that should attract patients from around the Salt Lake Valley. The adult bone-marrow transplant unit for all of Intermountain Healthcare will be based at LDS. There also will be a total joint-replacement center, a surgical treatment-for-obesity program and advanced cardio-diagnostic technology.

The most noticeable change for area residents will be in the decreased number of helicopter transports. According to a neighborhood newsletter put out by the hospital, helicopter traffic is expected to drop from the current 700 a year to approximately 84. Moore says that most of the remaining helicopter transports will involve moving critically ill patients to the Trauma I center at Intermountain Medical Center. There may still be limited incoming helicopter traffic to the bone-marrow transplant unit.

Parking is another change that may come as a pleasant surprise. Moore says construction is expected to get under way in March 2008 to improve two parking structures. The hospital expects to have no problem meeting parking demands over the long term.

"We're looking forward to being a better neighbor," Moore says.

Jess Gomez, LDS Hospital spokesman, says that though no exterior modifications will take place, the hospital is planning on doing some interior refurbishing to make the hospital more comfortable for patients. Construction will take place in stages so that patient care can continue uninterrupted.

Patient services should get a boost as well. The newsletter outlines plans for an Internet cafe, spa services and easier access to physicians' offices and business resources such as fax and copy machines.

Even though some services are being moved, Gomez says, the hospital is here to stay.

"We've been here for 102 years, and we're going to be here another 100 years."