Project Remains on Schedule

August 1, 2008

Since Valley County voters approved a ballot issue on May 13, board members and employees of Valley County Health System have been going through a very critical planning process for the new hospital facility. This process is required prior to the design phase of the new facility. It has been led by TSP, Inc. the Design/Builder who is providing planning, architectural, engineering and construction services for the project. TSP is a regional firm who is known for their expertise in creating much more than a healthcare facility. They create an environment conducive to healing by utilizing several techniques that make a project successful both functionally and aesthetically. Also involved in the planning phase has been Mary Wells Gorman, with Gorman Resources, a consultant to TSP who is a registered nurse, interior designer and medical planner with vast experience in healthcare facility operational and functional planning.

During this phase, a series of meetings have been held that have included operational and functional planning, the selection of the Care Delivery Model, space programming, creating a master project budget, master project schedule and community education planning. In addition, several managers toured the new hospitals in Crete and Wahoo to learn desired outcomes for our project.

It has become very clear to the employees and board members that this project involves much more than building four walls. It involves a new culture and method of providing care to our patients. Therefore, several processes will change prior to moving into the new facility. The new building will be designed around the Patient and Family Centered care model. This model allows patients and families to be together when at all possible, reduces stress for the patient by providing a quiet and relaxing environment, promotes wellness and healing, provides a private and safe environment, creates a seamless and timely experience and provides for optimal staff, family and patient interaction. A good example of this care model implementation in the new facility will be the inpatient rooms. All 17 rooms will be private and will allow adequate space for families to be in the room with the patient. The rooms will also provide a very safe and efficient environment for providing care. Another example will be the registration process. There will be a centralized registration/admissions area in the front lobby. All patients will register at this location for any service provided by the facility. The new facility will also incorporate the six elements of a healing environment. These are natural light, views to nature, wayfinding-clarity of access throughout the facility, control of environment, cultural responsiveness and sustainable design.

The TSP/Gorman Resources Team issued the following statement regarding the process for this project to date. “It is great to have the Board members so involved in the process, from the Care Delivery model development, existing departmental analysis, Cultural Change opportunities, and site visits to see how others have solved similar problems. In addition, departmental managers are partnering to develop the interdisciplinary approaches to major issues including patient/customer experience, staff and patient safety, benchmarking with community and peer facility standards.”

Over the next few months, the board and employees will begin the design phase of the project, which includes the facility design as well as the schematic design of each department. Once this process is complete, the board will approve the final design and a groundbreaking ceremony will be scheduled for early October. Site preparation will occur this fall with actual construction of the new facility beginning the spring of 2009.