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Hospital to seek $23.5 million bond
The hospital board has decided to try again to get the public to approve a bond issue for a major expansion of Elmore Medical Center.
The Hospital District Board of Trustees, at its March 7 meeting, approved a resolution that set a May 22, special election to seek voter approval of a bond to finance the hospital expansion plan. The $23.5 million general obligation bond will be used to build a new patient care facility at Elmore Medical Center.
"We need to move this project forward. Clearly we have outgrown the current hospital and additional space is needed to keep up with modern technology, add new services and continue to provide quality primary care close to those who need it" said Hospital Board chairman Dr. John Bideganeta.
A previous attempt to pass the bond resulted in a 53 percent approval by the voters in August 2006, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass a general obligation bond.
Faced with an aging 50-year-old hospital building that was built before the invention of computers and many modern healthcare technologies, retrofitting the current building to accommodate new equipment has become an ever-increasing maintenance problem, hospital officials contend.
The square footage in the building is insufficient to allow for expansion of patient services needed in the community, they said.
With more than 1,000 new homes being developed in and around Mountain Home, the demands for local healthcare are certain to increase, they noted.
"The expansion of Elmore Medical Center will provide the capability to accommodate growing healthcare needs of the county," the board said in a prepared statement.
A space allocation plan was developed, identifying the physical space needed for each service and support department.
Under the plan, the emergency room will have three times the current number of beds with six patient bays, a separate in-take and triage area and easy access from the street.
Radiology and Laboratory departments will be expanded to accommodate new technology and increase patient privacy, including a room that will fit a new CT scanner.
The outpatient services department space will increase to allow for additional services and provide improved patient care areas. Acute care will have 25 private inpatient rooms, "increasing patient comfort, reducing stress, eliminating roommate concerns and allowing for increased patient privacy," the board said.
The15-bed long-term care unit (LTCU-Nursing Home) will be a wing of the hospital, providing all private rooms with larger bathrooms able to accommodate residents with limited mobility.
The existing hospital will be remodeled, allowing the specialty clinic to be moved into the current hospital inpatient area. Patients needing specialty services will have improved access to other hospital services such as lab and radiology.
Other areas of the existing building will be used to accommodate support services including the Business Office, Health Information Management, Dietary, Environmental Services, Information Technology, Administration and meeting rooms.
Cost estimates for the hospital expansion increased from the prior estimate of over $17 million in October 2005, due to rising construction costs and changes made to the proposed floor plan.
Additional project costs were added to increase the number of inpatient rooms from 20 to 25.
"Community members and staff expressed concerns that more beds were needed," said hospital administrator, Greg Maurer. "It is important that we are responsive to the needs of the community and the plan was adjusted appropriately."
The cost of the new bond to a homeowner whose building plus property would be valued at $100,000, less exemptions, would be approximately $5.68 per month.
Community presentations will be scheduled for all groups requesting more information. Hospital tours are available upon requ
est for groupsand individuals by contacting Doreen Krabbenhoft at 580-2673.