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Hospital President Jim Ulrich said Friday morning, following a board of directors' meeting Wednesday, that the acceptance of a Guaranteed Maximum Price for construction and the development of "construction documents" -- creating blueprints for contractors -- are the next major steps in the realization of Phases 1 and 2 of the hospital's facility master plan.
Hospital officials plan a public forum on Thursday, July 9, at 4:30 p.m., at the hospital, to further explain the project, gather additional input and discuss comments from the public.
Ulrich said that input from hospital staff, medical staff, directors as well as from the community have shaped the hospital's expansion project, which, he said, "will greatly enhance our ability to provide healthcare for this region for years to come."
The $20 million project will create new patient and surgical wings and outpatient treatment rooms; construction could start in October.
Phase I of the construction, a new 25-bed wing, will replace the existing patient "pods" built in 1974. Phase II will follow and consist of the patient pod demolition and construction of the new surgery wing and outpatient rooms.
In other action:
* In closed session, directors discussed strategic planning and were updated on the recruitment of two family practice doctors coming to McCook this summer, and on ongoing efforts to recruit a full-time orthopedic surgeon to complement visiting specialists.
* Directors also approved the 2009 audit engagement letter with Seim Johnson, healthcare audit specialists of Omaha.
The Fiscal Year 2009 audit will begin in late July.
Comments
Wow, I can't wait to see the medical bills that I already cannot afford go up. Sure is nice to see a business in town that you really don't have a choice to not do bsuiness with really stick ya so they can affort all this building and expansion. If the population of SW NE and McCook are declining.....why is the hospital growing?
I completely agree with justin76. Leave things the way they are. Only reason they are doing this is so they can increase the cost of the patients. More money in the staffs pocket right. With the economy the way it is no one can afford anything. McCook is barely over 8,000 why do we need such a fancy hospital. Use the money for other things such as for people who can't affod some of the health care set up a fund to help people out that need immediate care but dont have the money to pay for it.
I would recommend you both go to the forum so you can learn more about it.
I think it's WONDERFUL to have the hospital update those old "pods"...McCook is blessed to have such a wonderful facility at hand and to keep adding to it is outstanding! Yes healthcare is expensive, but it's not because of updating facilities it's because of pharmaceutical companies, ridiculous insurance companies, and big time GOVERNMENT...we need this growth not only for better healthcare benefits, but for growth of our community!
Justin76 do you have any idea why your medical bills are what they are? If you think it is to allow for an expansion project, maybe you should go back to school. The population is declining so should we just close the hospital down? I think we also have an aging population that will need medical care. If you plan on having a doctor here than McCook needs to do these kinds of things to stay competitive in that market. Cambridge is planning an expansion on their hospital, what's the diff? I live in a community where costs are so out-of-hand that you can hardly afford to drink water from the tap. Yet, when I visit my home town of McCook I compare the rates there with where I live and my advice to you is to be thankful that you have what you have for what it costs you, it could be much worse.