Special to the Tribune-Star
PARIS, Ill. —
Paris Community Hospital/Family Medical Center has completed a $1.4 million renovation project that creates a more modernized facility and improves patient experience at the hospital and medical center.
“These renovations were done with the patient in mind,” said PCH/FMC President and CEO Randy Simmons. “They not only improve the look and feel of our facility, but also elevate our quality of care to a new level.”
The project, which began in late 2009 and concluded in July, includes the following improvements:
• Renovations focused on the hospital’s ancillary corridor that services numerous departments, including radiology, diagnostic laboratory, surgery and pharmacy services. The medical records area was moved from the ancillary corridor to the hospital basement, where the majority of the department is housed. Secured access doors were added to all of those areas.
• A new and improved endoscopy suite was constructed on the first floor in the location that the medical records department had previously occupied. Removing all scope procedures from the operating rooms provides more flexibility for scheduling surgeries and reduces the time surgical patients have to be at the hospital.
• The inpatient pharmacy, which had not had any physical improvements in 30 years, was enlarged to include a new refrigeration system and new medication area. The additional space allows for a new unit-dose packaging system, which packages precisely measured medications, and a bar-coding labeler, which uses scanning technology to link the patient and pharmacy. This system ensures a patient receives the correct medication. Both pieces of equipment are designed to improve patient safety and comply with new federal guidelines.
• A large-capacity heating, ventilation and air conditioning system was installed to service the general surgery area, which dramatically improved the ability to maintain temperature control.
• A new surgery waiting room, complete with new furniture, was constructed and is now conveniently located near the general surgery area.
• The respiratory therapy department was moved and is now across from the emergency department waiting room. This new location is more accessible to patients and is conveniently located near the hospital front desk and primary care physicians. It also improves patient privacy and allows staff to respond faster to emergency department calls.
The $1.4 million renovation was deemed an interim project because it occurred between the Phase I and II construction plans.
“The interim renovations were improvements that we couldn’t wait to do as part of Phase II construction,” Simmons explained.
Completed in late 2006, Phase I construction was a one-year, $12 million remodeling project that created 28,000 square feet of new space. It included construction of the Family Medical Center and conversion of the hospital’s semi-private rooms to all-private patient rooms. Following Phase I, PCH/FMC embarked on a major renovation of its second-floor business area, which houses administrative offices, human resources, information technology, patient billing, training classrooms and more.
Planning for Phase II began in early 2008, but construction has not yet begun. Phase II, which is estimated to cost $20-$25 million, calls for major interior and exterior improvements to the hospital. These include a new emergency department, a new hospital front entrance, a new outpatient surgery department and multiple improvements to the existing layout of the entire fac
