WINNEMUCCA - On March 27, the Humboldt County Hospital District Board of Trustees voted to move ahead with the second phase addition and expansion of Humboldt General Hospital.
The hospital's contract with Ascent Construction calls for the construction of a new patient wing and remodel in the hospital's acute department. Last week, dirt work began at the site located at the lower end of the hospital campus. This week, larger machinery will be on site.
"There are many changes occurring, and those changes may be confusing and disruptive to patients and visitors," said Humboldt General Hospital CEO/Administrator Jim Parrish.
"However, our staff and our contractors will make every effort to provide adequate signage for your convenience and safety during the life of this long-anticipated project."
The $5.7 million project will renovate 7,000 square feet and add 5,600 square feet to the hospital's main patient area. Construction is expected to take 700 days.
Following construction, the acute wing will have two bariatric rooms for larger patients, two isolation rooms, a two-chair infusion room and a three-bay Intensive Care Unit right off the nurses' station. A satellite nurses' station also will be included for those times when the acute wing is full.
Perhaps one of the most important features of the expansion/remodel is the end of double occupancy rooms. Due to federal patient privacy laws and stricter infection control guidelines, all of the rooms in the acute wing will be single occupancy once the project is complete.
The plan calls for 19 beds.
During construction, the parking lot adjacent to the medical office building at the corner of Haskell and Mizpah streets will be closed. However, the WIC and Community Health Nurse offices are still open; clients and patients should use the walkway entrance located off Harmony Street.
The medical office building that houses Drs. Kracaw and Stringham also is open. That building also houses visiting physicians from the Reno and Elko areas. Patients may use the Mizpah Street entrance.
Parrish acknowledged that parking may cause some frustration during the construction's expected two-year progress.
Hospital staff members will use the campus' employee parking, which includes parking at the helipad site.
The patient parking lots and parking surrounding the hospital will be open to patients and visitors.
Once parked, patrons should follow posted signs carefully to arrive at hospital and medical office entrances safely. Patients and visitors should stay out of construction areas.
Parrish said the construction will take place in three phases.
The first phase will result in a major expansion to the acute department. Patients will then be moved to the new patient wing to make way for the next phase, which will include remodeling of the former patient wing.
Eventually, those two sections will be joined and crews will finish with a third phase remodel of several other, connecting areas of the hospital.
"We are excited for this next phase in our improvements to Humboldt General Hospital," said Parrish. "We are fortunate to have the funding and the community support to make this happen."
He added, "We have confidence that in the end, this expansion and remodel will result in better patient care, which is the focus of all that we do."
For more information on the Humboldt General Hospital Patient Wing and Remodel construction project, please call (775) 623-5222, ext. 123.
Information is also available by visiting Humboldt General Hospital's website at www.hghospital.ws.
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