Grand Opening
Health care in the White Mountains took a giant step forward on Friday, November 16, 2007 with the dedication of Summit Healthcare's five story patient tower. "We are taking a new direction into the future. This magnificent tower is an expression of the journey this hospital is taking," CEO Tom Plantz said. "Patients are going from an entry-level hospital to a five-star hotel," Jones Cavanaugh, M.D., Chief of Staff said. "It's a great place to practice and great place to recover."
Visitors to Summit Healthcare's newly finished first and second floors were greeted by the sound of running water from the fountains in the hallways and the various shades of warm earth colors that make the hospital look inviting. "It makes people feel like they're home. It's very cheery," said Robin Conklin, Director, Patient Care Services.
Two years ago, Summit Healthcare, then known as Navapache Regional Medical Center, announced plans for expansion due to community growth. According to Roma Lee Hiatt, a member of the Governing Board, the original hospital was 35,000 square feet when it opened in 1970 with space doubling in subsequent expansions in 1987, 2000 and again in 2007. The $30 million, 104,000-square-foot expansion began in late 2006 and opened January 2008. The five-story patient tower houses 81 private patient rooms, including 12 beds in an intensive care unit on the first floor and 42 beds in the medical/surgical unit on the first and second floors. In 2008, floors three and four will be finished for Obstetrics and Women's Health. The unit is planned for seven labor and delivery rooms, a two-bed outpatient triage room, 20 private rooms for couplet care (mothers and their newborn babies) and gynecological surgery patients. The unit will also have nurseries, including a proposed Level II neonatal intensive care nursery.
The all-private rooms are one of the most exciting features. The extra space allows family and friends to be more fully involved as "care partners" in patients' recovery. Sleep sofas with drawers encourage care partners to stay with their loved ones. The rooms feature top-of-the-line beds with built-in scales, flat-screen TVs and beds with alarms to let staff know if a patient has left a bed. A board in each room allows staff and care partners to write updated information.
A computer at the patient's bedside permits doctors to instantly pull up lab work, X-rays and other needed data. In addition, the first floor is set up for telemetry care, technology that enables nursing staff to observe data collected from a patient linked to a heart and oxygen monitoring device. The telemetry device transmits information about a patient's heart to a centralized nursing station display. These machines can signal early warning signs, resulting in timely responses by nurses.
The new tower replaces the old patient rooms, which will be remodeled into new areas for outpatient services, clinical laboratory, diagnostic imaging, cardiopulmonary services and pharmacy, during a continuing three-year expansion project. "Outpatient services are growing rapidly. It's now the focal point of medical care," Plantz said.
The main lobby, as well as the original kitchen and dining room will be renovated. The dining area will be expanded into a "warm, relaxing, casual country" restaurant. Outdoor dining will provide a calm and refreshing getaway for staff and patients' family members.