Hospital board passes expansion to quorum court
December 14th, 2006 by JeffBilled as the largest single economic development package since the 1975 construction of the existing hospital, the Drew County Memorial Hospital expansion project formally moved forward today as the hospital board voted to send a resolution to the Drew County Quorum Court requesting that a referendum be placed on the ballot for a March 2007 vote.
The resolution asks for a 3/4 of one-cent sales tax to be added, bringing the current tax rate to 9.75% for Monticello and Drew County. That means that a resident who earns $50,000 a year would be paying approximately $180 per year for the expansion, after they pretax expenditures like housing payments
The project is ambitious. Totaling $21 million, the expansion and renovation will include the following:
- Creation of a “medical mall” on the first floor which will include emergency services, radiology, laboratory, and same-day outpatient surgical procedures which will be supported by three operating rooms and surgery rooms.
- It will add a second floor to the existing structure which will provide 49 private beds.
- A nursing care unit which will include an obstetrical unit with private rooms and a comprehensive nursery, all private medical and surgical patient rooms, and a state of the art Intensive Care Nursing Unit.
- Renovation of the 30 year old facility will allow repairs to the existing structure and realignment of services.
New services added by the project are comprehensive and will allow the hospital to be a regional source for health care. Some of the list of services and features of the massive project include:
- Seven new ICU/CCU rooms
- Four labor/delivery/recovery/post partum rooms
- Expanded and fully equipped nursery
- Three operating and procedure rooms
- Dynamically expanded emergency room area that will allow 10 patient care positions
- Imaging department
- Expanded specialty clinics
- Enlarged pharmacy
- Double the space for the physical/occupational therapy department
- Three room sleep lab
- Enlarged dining and serving area
- Realigned offices and business areas to improve organization and efficiency
The expansion of the hospital will conservatively create at least 35-40 new jobs, according to hospital board chairman Gary Shrum.
The existing hospital is approximately 75,000 square feet and was built in 1975. It is classified as an Acute Care hospital and has 49 beds available.
Shrum commented, “If we were to build the same facility that we currently have today, we would not be licensed by the state because we are 40,000 square foot underfloored. With this expansion, we will be able to offer a number of services that we don’t now have the room to offer.”
The hospital anticipates that the construction will not only bring new health care professionals to the area but will also bring a number of other health-care related jobs and services to the community. By voting to bring the resolution to the Quorum Court and to the community in March 2007, the hospital board wants to place the decision squarely in the hands of local residents.
If the Quorum Court agrees to place the resolution as a referendum for next year’s vote, the project could begin as early as September 2007. The expansion and renovation would take about two years to complete.
Choose another article
Newer article: One Monticello Life: Ricky Owens
Older article: Monticello newspaper launches online edition
martha,
someone reading your posts could very easily assume that what you have stated is current. when in fact, you have either been mislead, you simply you have stated incorrect information.
the hospital projects that it could generate, once again generate approximately $1 million of new revenue. this is not “net” profit. what the hospital charges for services and what it collects from your and my insurance company is decidely less.
when the quorom court addressed the resolution in it’s prior meeting, certain members of the quorom court denied the hospital a chance to answer questions, or explain the need for the resolution.
the board member that you quote as saying that the hospital can make the changes without taxpayers dollars, has been provided with information with different ways of trying to finance the construction. did he share that information with you?
do you need more information? were you able to come to the public health summit? our local paper has had several articles concerning the proposed changes at our hospital. as with our quorom court meetings, the hospital board meetings are open to the public. have you attended either one?
have you taken the time to come out to the hospital, sit down with their administrator, so that he may answer any concerns that you have? or are you just willing to ask your questions on this blog?
I concur with RD, again. Martha continues to ask questions that have already been addressed, multiple times. I am sure that the administration at DMH would welcome the opportunity to explain more to her. However, based on her postings, I doubt that information based on fact will change her mind. One last thought………………I have never awakened in the middle of the night needing a world series, but I have needing a hospital. There is a difference in entertainment and healthcare. Trying to compare the two is as ridiculous as comparing different cities.