For the past two months, sections of Hazel Hawkins Memorial
Hospital have been in the process of getting a face-lift.
A $2.7 million face-lift.
The hospital embarked on the project to remodel parts of the
hospital in order to make patients more comfortable and the system
more efficient.
For the past two months, sections of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital have been in the process of getting a face-lift.
A $2.7 million face-lift.
The hospital embarked on the project to remodel parts of the hospital in order to make patients more comfortable and the system more efficient.
“We are excited to be building for the future, to meet the needs of the residents of San Benito County,” said Ken Underwood, CEO of the hospital.
The most extensive work is being done in the radiology department, with the hospital bringing the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) services inside the hospital, rather than having them outside in a portable trailer, said Eleze Donahue, director of radiology.
“We are excited about this project because it allows for quite a bit of expansion in our department and takes into account room for future growth,” Donahue said.
The main purpose of the project is to expand the radiology department, specifically to bring the MRI services into the hospital instead of where they are currently housed – in a trailer outside the hospital, Donahue said.
“It’s a lot more convenient for patients, instead of having to have them walk out to a trailer,” she said.
Additional projects included in the radiology remodel are enlarging the mammography procedure room, two ultrasound rooms and constructing an additional radiology office.
There will also be an extra room to provide echocardiography, an ultrasound procedure of the heart, she said.
“We will also be able to expand the availability of our services to five days a week and 24 hours a day if need be for procedures or emergency services,” Donahue said.
The remodel will also allow the department to have extra space for future development. Currently there is only one radiologist in the department at any time, but in the future if they need to add more they will have the room to do so.
“Every year the volumes (of patients) increase dramatically,” she said. “When the volume reaches a capacity to add another radiologist we will be able to do that.”
The changes will allow the department to become fully digital as well.
Digital images can improve the productivity, efficiency, image quality and flexibility of X-rays and other images needed to provide quality patient care. It will also increase employee safety by eliminating chemicals and hazardous waste they have to handle with film, she said.
All in all, it will create a more efficient, technologically superior environment that focuses on patients’ needs and comfort.
A smaller part of the construction, which is almost complete, focused on the remodel of the same-day surgery wing.
Three rooms were totally remodeled, from wallpaper, flooring, lighting and televisions, said Nancy Ammerman, the same-day surgery supervisor.
Same-day surgeries consist of hernia surgery, tonsillectomies, some minor knee surgeries and cataract surgery, to name a few, Ammerman said.
A big part of the construction dealt with patient comfort and patient privacy issues – many stemming from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), which they are now completely compliant with, Ammerman said.
“Before we had real challenges – we weren’t efficient with privacy issues,” she said. “Now we’re working very efficiently.”
The most exciting new addition the remodel allowed for was a new nurse’s station, she said.
“Previously we didn’t have a nurse’s station – we were basically doing work off patient table tops,” she said. “Our goal now is to supply the patient with a nice, pleasant environment.”
There are still a few details to work out, but the department is very presentable, Ammerman said. The next step is to put local artwork up in the rooms to make them as pleasing and comfortable as possible.
The entire remodel cost about $25,000. The department received a grant of $7,000 from the Hazel Hawkins Foundation and the hospital administration covered the rest, she said.
The entire time the construction was going on, the staff managed to work around the clutter and keep the surgery schedule running smoothly.
“We had some logistical challenges to not impact surgery,” Ammerman said. “But we did it. We were pretty innovative.”
