The last two individual Futures articles in the Sun will cover the presentations by Humboldt General Hospital and the "Frontier" and "New Frontier' housing developments. Health care and housing are aspects of economic development that may not immediately come to mind, but they're two important considerations in building a vital community that can hold its residents, attract business and industry, and draw potential employees.
Humboldt Development Authority and Nevada Small Business Development Center Director Bill Sims emphasized that the quality of a community's health care is one of the factors people and companies consider when determining whether to locate in a community. "That's where the local hospital and the overall acess to health care become important."
"An up-to-date hospital and access to health care also provide a showcase to demonstrate that the community is, indeed, progressive and willing to invest in its future," said Sims, adding that whenever a company makes a site visit to Winnemucca, he makes sure they see Humboldt General Hospital.
"People who are looking for a good place to retire, or simply invest, will also be very interested in the health care available."
Humboldt General Hospital CEO Jim Parrish outlined some of the hospital's financial history and answered the question, "Why does a county hospital need to make money?"
Parrish said analysis of the hospital's 2003/2004 financial situation showed it was operating in the red. In 2003, HGH was about 4.3 million in debt.
The fact that the hospital's financial situation has turned around has made many improvements possible, said Parrish. The debt was paid off in 2011 and the recent remodeling and expansion projects, as well as planned future expansion remodeling projects can be done on a pay-as-you-go basis with no debt.
Parrish outlined what he called the "cornerstones of a rural hospital," explaining that without certain services, long-term viability is in question. Those cornerstones include obstetrical services, anesthesia services, surgical services, emergency services, and long-term care services.
"A hospital can go through a slow death process," said Parrish, "It doesn't occur overnight," said Parrish. Some hospitals decided to 'live with what they had' and now they're gone." He said that because a hospital is still operating, it can be easy to be lulled into complacency and fail to realize it's falling behind and won't be able to catch up.
HGH under Parrish's administration has definately not 'lived with' things as they were. Over the past ten years, HGH has invested profits into $37.9 million dollars worth of capital improvements, including the remodeling of all patient rooms, the expansion of the acute care wing and the renovation of the long-term care courtyard. Smaller projects already completed included the helipad / parking expansion across Haskell Street, addition of a wellness building, and storage mezzanine, as well as a two-bay expansion of the ambulance barn, in the area next to Harmony road, Chiller replacement, electrical and information technology (IT) upgrades this year weren't as visible to the public, but were investments in the hospital's infrastructure that, among other things made it possible to handle several large medical equipment upgrades, such as a new CT scanner.
Improvements planned over the next few years include the renovation of Harmony Manor long-term care facility and an addition to make it possible to offer memory care. The remodel/expansion of obstetrics will have private labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum rooms, as required by federal HIPPA privacy laws.
Expansion and upgrade of surgery facilities which are 35 years old and can't accommodate modern imaging equipment will also make it possible to do orthopedic procedures.
The emergency room will be enlarged to include beds where patients can be treated and evaluated for a longer period of time to determine whether hospitalization is required as well as a more private layout.
A maternity and obstetrics clinic in a second-floor addition will focus on women and family needs. An enclosed, off-street parking garage is also part of the future plans.
A modular building just approved by the hospital board and the planning commission will be placed on the land across Haskell Street, and will contain additional doctor's offices to replace those currently in the separate medical office building at the corner of Haskell and Mizpah Streets, as that building will be torn down to allow the hospital to expand to the edge of the property.
The timeline takes construction through 2017, and will serve the community for many years to come, said Parrish.
The building isn't the only aspect of health-care development for the hospital. Professional and interior program aspects have and will continue to grow. Those Parrish listed include a Critical Access Ambulance Service Certification, a Medicare-certified cardiac rehab program, medicare-certified diabetic education program, nationally certified radiology department, a nationally renowed paramedicine program, and the new nationally certified rural residency program that will bring doctors into the community for their 2-year medical residency practice. HGH has received the Emergency Medical Service Innovator Award twice, has been a top 20 Critical Access Hospital nationwide in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Harmony Manor was listed as one of America's Best Nursing Homes in 2013 and 2014. The hospital's new Telemedicine Program in conjunction with Renown Medical Center makes it possible to see a specialist without leaving town.
HGH's continuing improvement to programs and facilities makes it possible to attract good doctors and other medical professionals, officials say.[[In-content Ad]]Author's note: The following is the next in a multi-part series highlighting the goals and ideas of those involved in the Winnemucca Futures project.
