Hospital Making Plans for Future Upgrades

POMEROY–Co-CEO Mat Slaybaugh outlined the upcoming construction that will upgrade the electrical infrastructure in the original hospital portion of the building, finally get started on the heating and air-conditioning system upgrades, as well as plans for adding a computed tomography (CT) scanner. He has divided the upgrade plans into three phases at the regular meeting of the Garfield County Hospital District (GCHD) Board of Commissioners.

Phase 1 is the electrical system upgrade required by a moratorium placed on the original hospital portion of the building by Labor and Industries (L&I). A legislative grant for $250,000 was awarded last year, but has been delayed by the need for contract approval by the Washington Department of Commerce. The contract has been finalized and the money is available to the GCHD. The current plans are to finish the design process with the engineer by the end of spring, 2020. Once the plans are approved by the state, with a tentative timeline by the end of the summer, the bid for contractors will begin. Construction is expected to be complete by spring of 2021.

Phase 2 is the installation of a new rooftop heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) unit for the same portion of the original hospital building, which will replace the inadequate swamp coolers currently in place.

Phase 3 is to build a room addition to house a new CT scanner. Slaybaugh suggested that the hospital could benefit from an estimated $200,000 per year increase in revenue provided by having their own CT scanner. This estimate is based on the number of CT scans ordered by GCHD providers at the clinic and emergency room just last year. Currently, patients needing a CT scan are referred to other hospitals.

Funding for Phases 2 and 3 is expected to come from grants, which could total as much as an additional $725,000. No grants have been received to date for this purpose, but applications are being made to the M.J. Murdock Foundation for $300,000, The Washington State Rural Facilities Capital Grants Partnership Fund for $100,000, the Lewis Clark Valley Healthcare Foundation Grant for $75,000, and the Sunderland Foundation Grant for $250,000.

The response from the commissioners regarding the CT scanner and building addition were mixed. The general consensus is that there are many questions still to be answered, and the final decision would have to be made depending on the financial condition of the GCHD down the road. Chairman, Cindy Wolf, said, "It is a good goal to work towards."

The contract with Allevant Solutions, LLC is finalized, and scheduled for a June 1, 2020, start date. Allevant will assist the GCHD with adding post-acute care and rehabilitation services, which includes training the current staff with specific skilled nursing abilities, as well as market the GCHD to bring in new patients. It is hoped this change will result in a greatly enhanced revenue stream for the GCHD.

A GCHD special meeting has been set for Thursday, May 14, 2020, at 6 p.m., which will be by teleconference. The next regular meeting of the GCHD will be June 1, 2020, at 6 p.m.