Expansion Plans Reflect MCHI's Mission

Like the communities it serves, Memorial Community Health has a pro-growth philosophy that is rooted in the desire to improve the quality of life for the residents of Hamilton County and the surrounding areas. A major step was taken recently to put that philosophy into action with approval to proceed with phases two and three of a 10-year facilities upgrade plan.

The weather took a turn for the worst in January and appears to be continuing in February but the construction continues.

The new wing for Memorial Community Care is really moving along.  The exterior is bricked and there is drywall up in all the rooms.  While the finish work is always what seems to take so long, the plan is that residents will be able to move into the wing the first of June.

The new kitchen area is getting its block supporting walls up and the steel structure.  The plan for that area is to be able to occupy in July.

The Emergency Room appears to be further behind but it has a basement that needed to be completed before the above ground work could be done.  There was also a great deal of shoring that had to be done to support the existing structure before the basement could be dug.  But now they are above ground and the actual ER block support walls are being constructed.  Yes, they are working inside all of that plastic wrap.

Inside, there is work being done in February to provide the roof support needed on the existing building due to changes in snow load that the new additions will create.  The obvious work will be in the admissions area.  A temporary wall will be built in the hall outside the Admissions Office, but yes the Admissions Office will still be open.  But there will be some noise and possibly some odor of welding in the area.  We apologize for the inconvenience.

Already reaping benefits with the completion of phase one of the expansion plan (the addition of the $4.3 million Wortman Surgery Center), the board of directors recognized that the time was right to continue expansion efforts with the remaining phases. Construction projects included in phases two and three are a new wing of private long-term care rooms, a new dietary department and a new emergency room and access area.

Improvements and additions to Memorial Community Care (the long-term care branch of the hospital) will result in nine new private rooms, a family room/chapel and a staff lounge. Several existing semi-private rooms will be eliminated as part of the hospital reconstruction process and reflect the desire of residents and their families for private living quarters.

A complete overhaul of the hospital's original kitchen area will result in a new, expanded dietary department.

The third piece of the expansion efforts will focus on a new emergency wing. This phase of renovation will include a revamped emergency entrance and canopy, new emergency rooms and decontamination facilities. As part of the ER expansion plan, several additional areas of the hospital are also slated for renovation.

According to hospital administrator Diane Keller, "There isn't much of the original, central core of the hospital that won’t be remodeled."