Wyandot Memorial Hospital plans to add a new building and renovate existing space to better accommodate patients’ needs for convenient access and privacy.
“The blue prints have just been completed, and the project will be let out for bid this month,” CEO Joe D’Ettorre said.
According to D’Ettorre, the project will accomplish several goals, including the relocation and expansion of the Emergency Department, consolidation of outpatient services and improved privacy for patients. The plans also have space for a dedicated oncology center, and allow for renovations to bring magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in-house and add positron emission tomography (PET) capabilities to an existing computed tomography (CT) scanner. Both MRI and PET/CT are currently offered by a mobile service on-site, but having the diagnostic imaging equipment in-house will give patients more flexibility in scheduling their procedures.
“The way in which healthcare is delivered has changed significantly over the years,” D’Ettorre explained. “Back in the mid-80’s when our last facility master plan was developed, over 65% of our service was inpatient care. Now, 25 years later, inpatient care represents only 20% of our service.”
Technological advances have played a major role in healthcare by allowing much of the traditional inpatient care to be provided in an outpatient setting.
“Many of our ancillary departments are very busy and located in space that was never designed to accommodate the service which now occupies it,” D’Ettorre stated.
Board of Governors Chairman Tom Menningen concurred. “Our staff has been wonderful – providing high quality care in sometimes less-than-perfect settings,” he said. “However, to achieve our vision of being the community’s first choice for healthcare long into the future, a critical look at our facilities was conducted through the development of a facility master plan.”
Menningen reported that the hospital’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governors began work on the master plan in 2007. Goals were established, months of study conducted and numerous hospitals visited.
“The result was an exciting and well thought out plan for improvement to our facility that will allow us to meet the foreseeable healthcare needs of the community in a financially responsible manner,” the board chairman noted.
A 30,000 square foot building addition is planned adjacent to the current Medical Office Building on its eastern side. The building will house physician offices on its main floor; oncology, pharmacy, sleep testing and respiratory care services on the second floor; and cardiology, nuclear medicine, physical and occupational therapy and the Wellness Center on the walk-out lower level.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to have SleepCare diagnostic sleep testing on site, and to bring our PT/OT department back on campus,” D’Ettorre said.
The PT/OT therapy gym moved to leased space on Highland Parkway in 2006 due to a lack of space – the same reason SleepCare has operated from the Carey Family Health Center in the Times Building in Carey since 2004.
The existing Medical Office Building connected to the hospital will be renovated. Its main floor will be home to a new main entrance, patient registration, lab blood draw station, JobCare occupational health and emergency department.
“Our new ER will feature separate entrances for walk-in emergencies and EMS squads,” Menningen pointed out. “Currently, everyone entering the ER uses the same door and it can be quite overwhelming for patients and staff at times.”
The lower level of the existing Medical Office Building will be remodeled for the Specialty Healthcare Center and patient accounts. There will also be an enclosed connector from this level to the hospital’s cafeteria that extends upward to join the rear of the new main entrance lobby.
The hospital opted to hire an owner’s representative on a temporary basis to manage the construction. Steve Gilmore of Marion has been on site to assist in completing the blue prints and preparing the bid documents. The hospital’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governors will meet together in August to review the bids, and a final decision on whether to proceed or not will be made at that time.
“We know the current economic climate can be a difficult time to consider a project like this,” Menningen admitted, “but we also know that construction costs are likely to skyrocket in the future. We may get the most bang for our buck – essentially more building for less cost – if we build now while the construction industry is looking for work.”
The proposed project could start as early as this fall, which coincides with the hospital’s 60th anniversary. The original building was completed and opened for patients on September 25, 1950, and could accommodate 33 patients. An addition in 1961 doubled the capacity, and more space was added in 1968 and 1976. The most recent major renovation was completed in 1992, with the Medical Office Building added in 1999.
Currently, the hospital is licensed for 25 inpatients and is designated a Critical Access Hospital by Medicare.
“It was the dream of a lot of local folks to have healthcare in Wyandot County,” Menningen said of the first efforts to start a hospital here in the 1930’s,” and having this important community resource available has been crucial – even life-saving – for some of us.”