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Rural hospitals’ projects are full steam ahead
By Mark Coddington
mark.coddington@theindependent.com
Other aspects of the economy may be going nowhere fast, but Central Nebraska’s rural hospitals are in the midst of a construction boom.
Six area hospitals either started or finished multimillion-dollar projects in 2008, and several of them will continue well into 2009.
The largest project in the area is in Hastings at Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital, which is undergoing a $30 million expansion and renovation that will touch 70 percent of the hospital by the time it’s finished.
That project is moving along remarkably smoothly, said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Brandt, with the larger north addition on schedule and the smaller south portion ahead of it.
“It’s been charging right along,” Brandt said.
The two-story south section, which will house the hospital’s business offices and support services departments, among other areas, is scheduled to be finished by summer 2009.
Much of the outside work on that section was finished in a matter of a few days this past fall, and interior finishing work has been going since then, Brandt said.
Exterior work on the seven-story north addition remains, and though that section is also scheduled to be finished next summer, Brandt said she’s less confident about its completion date because it’s still subject to weather conditions.
By the time the entire project is finished in 2011, it will include transformed spaces for patient rooms, outpatient services, surgery, intensive care and other services.
The Valley County Health System in Ord began a similarly transformative project this past year, with its new $19.5 million, 67,000-square-foot hospital.
The project, which is being paid for through a $21.2 million bond issue approved by voters last May, is also on schedule, said Larry Schrage, the hospital’s chief executive officer.
The building’s site work was started and finished over a six-week span last fall, leaving it ready for concrete footings once the ground thaws in the spring, Schrage said.
“We got done before the cold weather moved in, so that was good timing,” he said.
Schrage said $9.8 million in bonds for the project were sold in the fall, and the remainder will be sold this spring or summer.
The Jennie M. Melham Memorial Medical Center in Broken Bow began work on a 39,000-square-foot expansion last summer.
Work on that project is about four weeks behind schedule because heavy fall rains disrupted dirt work, but exterior work is still going strong, said Michael Steckler, the hospital’s president and chief executive officer.
Steckler said he hopes to see the addition, on the west side of the current hospital, enclosed within the next four weeks and operational by next fall.
It will include 23 private patient rooms, plus a new nurses’ station, nursery, labor and delivery rooms and loading dock, among other features.
When it’s completed, the hospital’s existing patient rooms will be renovated to create space for a respite room for families and physical therapy for the hospital’s respiratory therapy and cardiac rehab programs, Steckler said.
He said funding for the $12 million project has been secured primarily through the hospital’s reserves, along with its operating funds. It will require no debt.
“We’ve been saving money for 20 years for a project like this,” Steckler said.
Three other area hospitals finished projects last year, including the Howard County Community Hospital in St. Paul, which opened a new clinic, front entry and lobby in February.
Two others completed the first of several planned phases. Memorial Hospital in Aurora opened a new surgery center in July and is in the midst of determining how best to use the space the previous surgery area once occupied.
In Albion, the Boone County Health Center finished the second of a three-phase project last fall with a new MRI system and digital X-ray room and renovated emergency room.
It’s now designing the final phase — an addition of new private patient rooms and a renovation of current rooms into private spaces — and plans to begin work in April or May, said Vic Lee, the hospital’s chief executive officer.
The hospital also made another step forward last fall: It paid off the last $800,000 in bonds from its 2003 expansion. Together with steady business and revenue, that makes for an optimistic future, even in dismal economic times.
“We’re very pleased to be debt-free,” Lee said. “With the economy the way it is, I wouldn’t want to be staring at a lot of debt right now.”
Rapid expansion
A look at Central Nebraska’s ongoing hospital expansion and renovation projects:
Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital, Hastings
Valley County Health System, Ord
Jennie M. Melham Memorial Medical Center, Broken Bow
Boone County Health Center, Albion
Six area hospitals either started or finished multimillion-dollar projects in 2008, and several of them will continue well into 2009.
The largest project in the area is in Hastings at Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital, which is undergoing a $30 million expansion and renovation that will touch 70 percent of the hospital by the time it’s finished.
That project is moving along remarkably smoothly, said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Brandt, with the larger north addition on schedule and the smaller south portion ahead of it.
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The two-story south section, which will house the hospital’s business offices and support services departments, among other areas, is scheduled to be finished by summer 2009.
Much of the outside work on that section was finished in a matter of a few days this past fall, and interior finishing work has been going since then, Brandt said.
Exterior work on the seven-story north addition remains, and though that section is also scheduled to be finished next summer, Brandt said she’s less confident about its completion date because it’s still subject to weather conditions.
By the time the entire project is finished in 2011, it will include transformed spaces for patient rooms, outpatient services, surgery, intensive care and other services.
The Valley County Health System in Ord began a similarly transformative project this past year, with its new $19.5 million, 67,000-square-foot hospital.
The project, which is being paid for through a $21.2 million bond issue approved by voters last May, is also on schedule, said Larry Schrage, the hospital’s chief executive officer.
The building’s site work was started and finished over a six-week span last fall, leaving it ready for concrete footings once the ground thaws in the spring, Schrage said.
“We got done before the cold weather moved in, so that was good timing,” he said.
Schrage said $9.8 million in bonds for the project were sold in the fall, and the remainder will be sold this spring or summer.
The Jennie M. Melham Memorial Medical Center in Broken Bow began work on a 39,000-square-foot expansion last summer.
Work on that project is about four weeks behind schedule because heavy fall rains disrupted dirt work, but exterior work is still going strong, said Michael Steckler, the hospital’s president and chief executive officer.
Steckler said he hopes to see the addition, on the west side of the current hospital, enclosed within the next four weeks and operational by next fall.
It will include 23 private patient rooms, plus a new nurses’ station, nursery, labor and delivery rooms and loading dock, among other features.
When it’s completed, the hospital’s existing patient rooms will be renovated to create space for a respite room for families and physical therapy for the hospital’s respiratory therapy and cardiac rehab programs, Steckler said.
He said funding for the $12 million project has been secured primarily through the hospital’s reserves, along with its operating funds. It will require no debt.
“We’ve been saving money for 20 years for a project like this,” Steckler said.
Three other area hospitals finished projects last year, including the Howard County Community Hospital in St. Paul, which opened a new clinic, front entry and lobby in February.
Two others completed the first of several planned phases. Memorial Hospital in Aurora opened a new surgery center in July and is in the midst of determining how best to use the space the previous surgery area once occupied.
In Albion, the Boone County Health Center finished the second of a three-phase project last fall with a new MRI system and digital X-ray room and renovated emergency room.
It’s now designing the final phase — an addition of new private patient rooms and a renovation of current rooms into private spaces — and plans to begin work in April or May, said Vic Lee, the hospital’s chief executive officer.
The hospital also made another step forward last fall: It paid off the last $800,000 in bonds from its 2003 expansion. Together with steady business and revenue, that makes for an optimistic future, even in dismal economic times.
“We’re very pleased to be debt-free,” Lee said. “With the economy the way it is, I wouldn’t want to be staring at a lot of debt right now.”
Rapid expansion
A look at Central Nebraska’s ongoing hospital expansion and renovation projects:
Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital, Hastings
- Project: Expansion and renovation of many departments, including surgery, pre- and post-op, outpatient services, intensive care, patient rooms and business offices.
- Space: 32,500 square feet new; total of 100,000 square feet affected.
- Cost: $30 million.
- Timeline: 2011 completion.
Valley County Health System, Ord
- Project: Construction of new hospital adjacent to current building.
- Space: 67,000 square feet.
- Cost: $19.5 million.
- Timeline: Fall 2010 completion.
Jennie M. Melham Memorial Medical Center, Broken Bow
- Project: Expansion including 23 new patient rooms, new nursery, nurses’ station, labor and delivery rooms, loading dock and renovated physical therapy space.
- Space: 39,000 square feet.
- Cost: $12 million.
- Timeline: Fall 2009 completion of expansion; summer 2010 completion of renovated space.
Boone County Health Center, Albion
- Project: New patient rooms and renovation of current rooms into private spaces.
- Space/cost: N/A (design ongoing).
- Timeline: April/May launch of construction work.
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