Tri-County Hospitals $15 million expansion and renovation project is coming to a close after planning began nearly eight years ago.
One of the first phases was planning that began about eight years ago, said Tri-County Hospital Administrator Dennis Miley. At that time, many ideas were tossed around, including a completely new hospital but that would have been $30 million, he said. Instead, a decision was made to expand and renovate the hospital.
After making the decision to expand and renovate the hospital, fund-raising was done.
We went out and told our story to the public, Miley said.
The goal was to raise $1.25 million in five years. About $1.3 million was pledged. The hospital is in the last year of collecting the five-year pledges and is within a few hundred dollars of the money that was pledged, Miley said. The hospital also received loans.
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Its pretty unique that the hospital has been able to collect most pledges because so many factors are at play, such as people moving away or financial situations changing, Miley said.
Yet, it has been very successful, he said.
After fund-raising, the hospital needed to plan for the renovation and remodeling and what departments would be shifted around. First, the campus was prepared and then the building was prepared, Miley said. Some of the areas touched by the renovations include nursery, waiting area, X-ray department, administrative offices, emergency room, courtyard, skywalk, cafeteria, pharmacy and respiratory therapy.
Tri-County Hospitals purchasing department is the last to move from the Wesley Annex, formerly Wesley Hospital, across the street. It hasnt been decided what the building will be used for.
The latest additions are permanent signs around the hospital. Signs are backlit and replace temporary signs that were around the hospital during the construction and renovation. The emergency room has a new awning outside, and parking areas will be much easier to get to, Miley said.
A ribbon cutting will be at 6:30 p.m. today (Thursday) at the front entrance of Tri-County Hospital. The hospital has had activities each day of the week, including: family day on Sunday, seniors and physically challenged day on Monday, parents and children day on Tuesday, Tri-County Hospital Foundation day on Wednesday.
The hospital will have a community health kick-off from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Although some of the landscaping isnt completed yet, Miley thought this was a good time to have a big open house.
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This is an opportunity for people to see the surgery department before it becomes operational, he said.
Also, he didnt want this to become blurred with the Community Behavioral Health Hospital grand opening that is slated for June, Miley said.
