New hospital to begin construction
By: James Tyler
Well, Route 100 is not yet four lanes to Dublin , but we are getting a new hospital.
Construction for the road and the site for the new hospital will begin in March or April depending upon the weather. Construction for the building should begin around August and the projected completion date for opening is the Spring of 2010.
The staff and I are very excited about this project. Our current facility is now 58 years old and is about 60,000 square feet in size. The new hospital will be 85,000 square feet and will have nine ED treatment rooms. The hospital will remain 25 beds. This is due to our Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation by Medicare that limits the number of beds to a maximum of 25. Without the CAH designation, we would be unable to build the new facility.
One of our goals with the new hospital is trying to make the facility "User Friendly." All outpatient services - Physical Therapy, Occupation Therapy, Speech Therapy, X-Ray and Imaging Services and Patient Registration (Patient Access) will be off of the Main Lobby. This will help in making it easier to get around and go from one place to the next. We have spent considerable time planning this facility. The design elements of patient safety, comfort, privacy, and navigation throughout the building have been our primary concerns. In addition, the design team has emphasized a building that promotes a good work environment for the staff and enables them to quickly respond to patient needs.
The new hospital was also designed for future expansion as well. Since the building will have structural steel and not load bearing walls, we will be able to expand the hospital when the demand arises. For example, if we need to have more Emergency Department Examination Rooms, the ED is located on the outside wall of the building so we can expand and add more rooms. Surgery, Imaging, Therapy and Lab are also on outside walls too.
The new hospital would not have been a reality without the cooperation between Giles County , the Town of Pearisburg , Monroe County , WV and several individuals. I would like to thank Congressman Boucher and his staff for their diligent hard work and assistance in obtaining our Letter of Attestation from Medicare. This letter grants the hospital permission from Medicare to build a replacement hospital and retain our CAH status. Virginia State Senator John Edwards, Delegate James Shuler, Delegate Anne B. Crockett-Stark, and Governor Joe Manchin III of West Virginia have written letters of support and provided assistance in obtaining our Certificate of Public Need from the State of Virginia . I would also like to thank my staff and the Doctors at Giles Memorial. They have worked hard over the past four years to make this dream a reality. Most importantly though, I would like to thank the people of Giles and Monroe Counties for all the support you have given. This is your hospital and you have made sure that it will be here for years to come.
