Many of you joined us on Sunday, August 5 as we celebrated the completion of our new facility. Dr. Justin Overmiller, Chief of the Medical Staff, Kenton Weltmer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Lynne Hinrichsen, Kansas Director for the USDA Rural Development Program, all spoke during the brief ceremony. Following that, more than 800 people toured the new facility to see the results of the strong community support and years of planning and development have produced. We were happy to see such a large turnout and enjoyed the many positive comments we heard.
For months now we have been planning for the actual move into the new facility. I can’t count the number of times I was asked “How will you get that done? How many days do you think it will take?” I was met with almost universal disbelief when I responded that we would make the actual move in one day. Of course, there was a great deal of equipment that was new, and most of that was installed during construction of the building, so it didn’t have to be moved. We contracted with Kearney Moving and Storage, an agent for Atlas Van Lines to assist us with the move. They met with us several times during the planning stages to discuss the process and to assess how much equipment would need to be moved. We determined that the most complex piece of equipment that needed to be moved was one of the laboratory analyzers. Because this very large analyzer performs dozens of tests, moving it involved partial disassembly, moving the machine out of the very small laboratory at the old hospital, placing it on a truck, transporting it to the new hospital, reassembling it in the (much larger) laboratory, having a maintenance check performed by a service technician, and beginning the process of recalibrating and verifying the function for each test it performs. We determined that the best way to accomplish movement of this piece of equipment was to accomplish the move on Tuesday, a day ahead of the rest of the hospital. So Kearney Moving sent a small crew to the hospital on Tuesday and moved the analyzer. Since they were here, they proceeded to move a load of boxes from offices and non-patient care areas. Then they returned on Wednesday morning with a larger crew (15 very professional, high energy movers) to begin the actual move of the hospital. The thunderstorm that moved slowly through the area on Tuesday delayed the process somewhat because we didn’t want equipment or supplies to get wet. Once the storm passed, we went “full speed ahead”. Once critical equipment had been moved to the new hospital, staff from Smith County EMS assisted us in moving the patients who were in the hospital on Tuesday. They accomplished this very quickly and professionally. So from start to finish on Tuesday, the actual move took just about SIX HOURS! Incredible!
We are still working on arranging equipment and supplies in the new building (and will be doing so for some time). We are getting used to new systems (phone, alarm, nurse call, cardiac monitoring, access controls and may more), and yes, some staff are still learning how to navigate around the building. But we are open for business and are able to provide all services. We have patients in beds, the Emergency Department is open and functioning, lab and imaging services are being provided, and in every way we are fully operational.
I want to express a great deal of appreciation to everyone involved in the planning and execution of the move. Our staff in every single department did an excellent job of planning, packing, and assisting with the move. Our Medical Staff did their usual outstanding job of proving calm leadership and direction of patient care. The attached picture shows the degree of their involvement. Dr. Conant and Dr. Overmiller are shown assisting with preparing our pharmacy dispensing equipment for transport to the new hospital. This kind of “hands-on” care is very typical of the Medical Staff. The nursing staff, under the direction of Sarah Ragsdale, Chief Nursing Officer, did a simply outstanding job of caring for patients amid the chaos, while putting in many extra hours assisting with the move. Staff at Smith County Family Practice likewise worked very hard getting equipment and supplies moved and placed so that they can take care of patients without interruption. Maintenance, Housekeeping, and Food Service staff worked incredible hours preparing the building and assisting with the move. Our IT staff have been absolutely fabulous in their efforts to get all of the electronic systems in the new building up and working properly. All of the efforts of our staff though would have meant nothing without the support from the community. Our Board of Trustees, County Commissioners, Public Building Commission Board of Directors, have provided support and assistance throughout the planning and construction process. And the residents of our county have been very supportive. We thank each of you for your support and prayers as we went through this process. We look forward to many years of service to the community with the great new facility you have allowed us to construct. We are here for all of your healthcare needs.