St. Luke ahead of schedule

Ali Bronsdon, Leader staff

Phase I of the St. Luke Community Hospital building campaign, which includes the construction of a 61,000-square-foot addition to the complex, is nearing completion two months ahead of schedule, said Shane Roberts, the Hospital's chief executive officer.

An open house for the community is planned for Nov. 8 and the the official move-in date for the new space is set for Nov. 11.

Complete with a new lab, cafeteria, reflection room and conference rooms, the new space will house radiology, the emergency room, 25 new private patient rooms and state-of-the-art nurses stations.

In addition to expanded surgical services and physical, speech and occupational therapy rooms, the addition will also feature a new sleep lab to assist with the treatement of numerous sleep-related issues faced by patients.

A permanent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine will replace the current mobile unit, which the hospital shares with the Plains, Superior, Monida, Deer Lodge and Salmon communities. New fully-digital imaging rooms equipped with a PAC (Picture Archiving and Communication) system will allow doctors to send an image anywhere in the world for counseltation with experts in a particular field of concern.

The ER, which is the busiest in Lake County, will have moveable equipment, five treatment areas, a safe room for psychiatric patients, a decontamination area for anyone exposed to a chemical spill and a Convenient Care Clinic for those patients who don't require an ER visit, but who do require medical attention.

"Care will be billed out like a clinic instead of ER," Roberts said. "That will save the patient a lot of money."

Roberts added that because of their close proximity, the patient rooms in the clinic could even be used as a back-up emergency rooms if the ER's two trauma bays should ever experience an overload.

A number of upgrades to the maternity ward will allow for concurrent, in-room labor and delivery for up to three women. Last year, 172 babies were born at St. Luke Hospital and Roberts said deliveries are ahead of that pace for 2008. The hospital's three new labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum rooms come equipped with large, comfortable sofas for overnight visitors and a heated crib. Remote-controlled exam lights built into the ceiling provide ease and convenience for staff.

"It (the lighting unit) stays clean, doesn't get dust on it and it's out of the way," Roberts said.

For the 20 percent of cases where birth does not progress naturally, the birthing area has an adjacent cesarean section surgical suite to accommodate a timely response.

Taking into consideration the potential for continued growth, the addition also contains 11,000- to 12,000-square-feet of unoccupied space.

Phase II, which includes the renovation of the 30,000-square-foot existing building, will commence as soon as operations move to the new space. The renovation portion of the project will increase the space currently being utilized by the laboratory, cardiopulmonary, physical therapy, medical records and cafeteria departments. According to the hospital's website, the goal is to place ambulatory outpatient care services such as imaging and cardiopulmonary in one central area near the entrance and to provide separation between clinical areas and public areas for patient privacy.

With more than 350 employees, St. Luke is already one of the largest private employers in Lake County and 25 to 35 new positions will be created by the hospital's expansion, Roberts said.

"It's going to be a very good thing for the whole community — (for) the whole county," Roberts said.