Brodstone Healthcare celebrates completion of recent addition

For Brodstone Healthcare, four years of planning and construction culminated in recent days in a series of open houses to show off the progress. This week departments are being relocated to their new quarters and work will begin soon to remodel the older quarters.

In the first 40 yeas or so there was little change to the hospital facility gifted by Lady Vestey in memory of her mother. But in the 50 plus years since the hospital has had a construction project underway much of the time.

The latest project added 41,900 square feet to the building. It includes a new emergency department with two dedicated trauma bays and an enclosed ambulance unloading area with room for the three ambulances. There are 17 new patient rooms, a new labor and delivery wing including suites and a family waiting area. There are five private infusion suites in the infusion center.

The emergency entrance is moving from the west end of the hospital to the east. Members of the public seeking emergency services are to use a new entrance off Eleventh Street near the northeast corner of the hospital building. Ambulances will enter the unloading bay via Tenth Street and exit onto Eleventh and Washington streets.

The first floor houses patient education, the gift shop, Thrive center, coffee shop, healing garden, wound care center, infusion suite, and the emergency department.

The second floor is devoted to patient rooms and the labor and delivery area. The third level contains mechanical equipment.

Though there are some elevation changes, the first and second floors are connected via ramps to the older portions of the hospital.

While most of the original hospital building has been removed, the 1967 addition and later additions remain and are being utilized.

The current emergency room will be remodeled and used by materials management. The reworked area will also allow laundry to be done on-site.

Should a tornado approach the hospital, there are safe rooms throughout the new facility where patients and staff may seek shelter.

The halls are decorated with artwork depicting local scenes.

The hospital portion was designed with decentralized nursing. Nurses have work stations where they may perform their record keeping duties while keeping watch over patients in the two adjoining rooms. Supplies are strategically placed throughout to cut down the time staff members need to travel for the needed supply items.

The emergency room is a really a multi-room facility with three exam rooms and two trauma bays. In addition there is a decontamination and isolation spaces.

Kerosene lamps which once adorned the original building's entrance have been restored, electrified and are back in their original location that was the main entrance to the first hospital building.

Though the original building has been removed, the front wall was preserved. It lines one of the major corridors.

Last week a series of open houses were held to provide opportunities for residents of the area served by the hospital to see and become acquainted with the new facility before it began serving patients,

On Monday members of area fire departments were invited. There were 34 attendees. Tuesday was the emergency medical services open house with 22 in attendance. Wednesday was law enforcement day with 13 attendees. Thursday was the open house for Brodstone employees and their families with 144 attendees. Friday was nurses' night out and served as a recruitment event with 52 attendees. Saturday was the public open house with 122 attendees.

Project priorities included safety, security and patient privacy.

The hospital's board of managing trustees includes Pat McCord, Beth Siebecker, Jacki Porter, Janet Eggers, Royce Schott and Piper Hodge.

The senior leadership team is composed of Treg Vyzourek, Candice Thompson, Tim Hiatt, Maci Hancock, Crystal Wyatt, Judy Baker, Doug Wehrman, Chris Flaata, Mike Smith, Rebecca Hedstrom, Heather Erickson, Norrisa Flores, Luke Ackerman and Susie Kutay.

The construction and planning committee was composed of Treg Vyzourek, Candice Thompson, Tim Hiatt, Doug Wehrman, Rebecca Hedstrom, Heather Erickson, Norrisa Flores, Luke Ackerman, Mike Smith, Susie Kutay, Steve Burns, Sandy Borden, Amber Kussman, Melissa Imler, Jennifer Wyatt, Lynette Bartley, Maddie Peterson, Whitni Rust, Molly Rempe, Diane Littrell and Kristi Wehrman.

The general contractor was BD Construction with Gary Allen as project manager. GG-ID Architects and SES Engineers were in charge of the design.

It is anticipated that the new addition will be 30 percent more efficient than the current facility.

 

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