Black River Memorial Hospital Continues to Work on Expansion
Tuesday, September 4th, 2018 -- 8:00 AM
-On Tuesday, July 24, Black River Memorial Hospital broke ground on an expansion that will include many needed changes.Several service areas will be improved with changes such as the expansion of the Rehabilitation Department that will provide more room for occupational and physical therapy as well as room for occupational health; pulmonary and Respiratory services will be moved to the first floor, near the entrance, for patient convenience; a new X-Ray system will be added to Diagnostic Imaging and this will provide better service to patients in the emergency department and allow better access for employers who need this service; the Surgical Services area will add a second procedure room and more pre-op and post-op rooms; on-call rooms and an updated conference room will be added for physicians; the Urgent Care area will be given a separate entrance in addition to more space for expansion of services to meet future needs of the community; there will be a complete renovation of the kitchen and this will be the first renovation the kitchen has experienced since 1968 and the cafeteria will see an updated floor plan, expanded menu selections, and increased capacity for customers; the lobby registration area will be remodeled to improve patient privacy and the gift shop will also be renovated.
Ten years ago marked the last major renovation and much has changed in the healthcare industry since then. Mary Beth White-Jacobs, BRMH Chief Executive Officer stated, “Healthcare is delivered very differently than in the past. Procedures that used to require multiple nights in the hospital are now performed on an outpatient basis.” She added, “This project is a significant investment in the future of healthcare in our community.” Chief Finance Officer, Matt Streeter, project manager for the expansion stated, “Patients want to get their care locally. With the growth of BRMH, we will be able to continue to provide the state-of-the-art, excellent care our community expects without increasing costs to the patient.” Streeter explained that the hospital is in a very stable financial condition and for the past 10 years has been saving money for future expansion. The entire cost of the project will be covered by this savings. All hospital services will not be disrupted throughout the process. Construction is set to begin August 13 and will continue through spring 2020.
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