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Community Hospital building project on track; USDA makes Nebraska loans
McCOOK, Neb. — Community Hospital’s building project continues on track this month, along with a USDA announcement of loans to Nebraska facilities, including the hospital.
A Facility Master Plan was approved by the board of directors November 2017, which included authorizing Community Hospital to apply for USDA funding for a new building project. $16 million was approved by the USDA including $1 million of direct lending and a $15 million Rural Development Community Facilities Loan Guarantee. The hospital will contribute $3 million of its own funds toward the project.
The USDA announcement highlighted the agency’s commitment to addressing the opioid crisis in rural America. These additions and renovations will allow the Hospital to continue to provide services to address this crisis in the community. Mental health and opioid services will continue to be addressed and enhanced by including better access to a telehealth exam room and equipment to allow patients with behavioral health needs to meet with providers remotely.
The project will address the following needs:
— Medical Specialists Center. Some of the current visiting specialists clinic will be converted to McCook Clinic space for additional exam rooms. Additional square footage will be added for visiting specialists. The remodel will improve efficiency and allow for better patient/staff flow.
— Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. New square footage will be added to create a larger gym and department. The expansion will allow for additional equipment and put more space between equipment to address safety issues. A walking track around the gym is also included. The cardiopulmonary program includes Phase 2 and now offers Phase 3 in the department, causing the service to grow significantly since the gym was built in 2006.
— Kitchen. The project includes a reconfigured workspace in the hospital kitchen for more efficient operation. Staff currently using the same space and layout from the original 1974 building. Since the ceiling, walls and flooring need to be replaced, the room layout will also be reconfigured for better work flow.
— Laboratory. Work space will be reconfigured for more efficient operation.
— Mobile Testing Trucks. The cardiac testing trucks and PET CT truck will be moved to a better, dedicated location.
— Patient Entrances and parking. The rehabilitation entrance will be moved to the front (south side) of the hospital making it easier to find. The Medical Specialists Center entrance will be moved to the back of the hospital close to the current rehab entrance.
— Pharmacy. A small expansion will be added to the pharmacy’s medication mixing rooms to address some upcoming regulation changes regarding hazardous drug handling and compounding.
A second project, Project #2 (ER and Injection Infusion expansions), will follow upon the completion of Project #1. Troy Bruntz, Community Hospital President & CEO explained the importance of dividing the building expansion and remodeling into two projects instead of one. “Financially, it works out better for us. Two projects allow us shorter term borrowing with lower interest rates.” He added that much of the project is needed due to changing government regulations.
Following interviews with construction management companies, Sampson Construction was selected as the hospital’s construction manager for the project. Construction drawings are expected from the architectural firm mid- to late-July. Sampson Construction hopes to mobilize on site in September to begin preliminary work.
Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $237 million in 119 rural community service facilities in 29 states. Nebraska has five recipients totaling more than $11 million including Community Hospital.
“At USDA, we believe in rural America and in the promise of small towns and the people who call them home,” Hazlett said. “Under Secretary Perdue’s leadership, we are committed to being a strong partner to local leaders in building healthy, prosperous futures for their communities.”