Hospital renovates to improve service

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Houlton Regional Hospital (HRH) is set to spend nearly $3 million dollars funded through a 30-year bond to renovate the facility for improved patient access, better infection control and protection of patient privacy. Thanks to cost-saving measures and staff input over a three-year strategic planning process, the project, which began last Wednesday, is expected to be completed by February 2010.
Pioneer Times photo/Elna Seabrooks
NEW ENTRANCE — Grit Richards, left, superintendent for Pizzagalli Construction and Bart Peters, hospital maintenance manager, discuss the new entrance to the emergency department which will have a canopy. Peters says site work to expand road access to the emergency department began last week and the next step will be to install detention basins for site drainage.
    The renovation and construction calls for a new, single entrance to the emergency department waiting area. It also includes a triage room, registration room, waiting room, children’s play area, vending area and new restrooms with security at the entrance. Currently there are two entrances to the emergency room with insufficient privacy, security or infection control. A new wing of the hospital will be constructed to relocate the cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation space. The nuclear medicine and radiology departments will be renovated.
    Grit Richards, superintendent of the project for Pizzagalli Construction, says local contractors are already involved in the road work and planned concrete work for constructing the new wing. Richards says he has met with several contractors for electric, plumbing and other trades for the project which will be environmentally friendly.     
    Despite the economic climate, Tom Moakler, HRH head executive, says the renovation is necessary to better serve patients and residents in the future. The original $3,340,000 budget has been modified to come in at $2.9 million with good prices, he added, due to an overall slow down in the construction industry. The plan calls for 7,640 square feet of new construction and 3,237 square feet of renovations.
Pioneer Times photo/Elna Seabrooks
RENOVATION REVIEW — Houlton Regional Hospital staff discuss plans for the renovation about to begin as they look at plans. From left are: Trish Murray, emergency department manager; Tom Moakler, CEO; Sue McLaughlin, radiology manager, Bart Peters, hospital maintenance manager; Grit Richards, superintendent for Pizzagalli Construction; and Ingrid Black, cardio-pulmonary manager.
    Trish Murray, emergency department manager, says the renovation will provide more streamlined services thanks to a dedicated waiting area to deal with infection control issues and better security — especially at night. Murray says privacy is a major concern for all departments of the hospital.
    The waiting area is now located in a public shared space off the lobby. Hospital officials say nearly 14,000 patients come to the emergency room for treatment each year and most of its nearly 1,700 annual admissions come through the emergency department.