Hospital renovation nears completion

Friday, June 20, 2003

With only a few finishing touches left to go, Nevada Regional Medical Center is nearly ready to open its new wing, offering expanded services and modernized facilities for patients. It's not yet open to the public, but the Nevada Lions Club members took a special, sneak-preview tour of the new addition to Nevada Regional Medical Center Tuesday during their weekly meeting. Throughout the tour, NRMC CEO Robert Ohlen was on hand to provide an overview of the construction progress. "We should take possession of the addition June 24. From then until July 9 there will be cleaning and inspection of the new facility before patients start moving over on July 10. Ambulatory patients should come over July 12 and OB and the small business office on the 17th. We should have the MedSurg unit moved July 24." During the program, Ohlen was joined by Sara Lawhorne, NRMC Community Relations director and Linda Schmitz, NRMC Foundation director. In introducing Schmitz, Ohlen pointed out that the foundation had informational material for those wishing to donate funds to the project. Lions president Greg Hoffman quipped that anyone wishing to donate enough could have the entire new addition named for themselves. Ohlen was quick with his own quip. "I'd be happy to help you accomplish that." As the Lions made their way through the new addition construction workers continued their work; laying carpet, installing fixtures, and all the other million and one last minute tasks needed to complete the project. On the new obstetrics ward Lawhorne pointed out the features of the new unit including whirlpool baths in the individual rooms bathrooms and the improved layout of the rooms. Ohlen observed that the ward had increased security including a lockout on the elevator that prevented the doors opening unless the car's rider had a special card with a magnetized strip that would allow them onto the ward. "There has been a rash of abductions of infants across the country and these measures are being put in place to protect the infants from harm and to protect their families from the heartache and stress on them caused by an abduction," he said. In the Intensive Care Unit, all of the rooms have windows and the rooms are wired to the nurses station to relay information on the patients condition to the nurses on duty. "In the old unit, only one room had a window. It's important for someone to be able to look out and see the outside world. It means a lot to someone who can't get out to at least be able to see outside," said Lawhorne. The parking lot, which has been delayed because of weather and because of the condition of the ground below it, should be finished in a week, according to Ohlen. "Once the parking lot is finished it will take a day or two to stripe it for parking spaces then we can move over and do some work on the pavement in front of the old entrance. We'll remove the asphalt where the mobile MRI imaging trailer is parked and return it to green space, like it was previously," said Ohlen. As the project nears completion Ohlen noted that he expected the projects change order fund, which was created to pay for unexpected expenses, would have approximately $400,000 left out of a total of $625,000 budgeted. "I think we managed the fund as well as could be done. There are always some things that are unanticipated in a large project like this and we dealt with them as they came up."

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