Citizens Memorial Hospital is putting the finishing touches on phase one of a major expansion and renovation that kicked off with a groundbreaking in September 2023.
The $100 million project includes a 117,000-square-foot, 3-story addition on the south side and 25,000-square-feet of renovated space. Phase one encompasses about 75% of the project. Phase two will include renovations.
The new addition will include a new entrance to the Bolivar hospital, which features a natural-lit lobby; a new kitchen, cafeteria and dining area; as well as a coffee shop. There will be a new and expanded emergency department with 29 rooms compared to the current 12 (CMH sees on average 21,000 ER visits each year); a new and expanded ICU; new private medical/surgical unit rooms; a new pharmacy; new progressive care rooms; and a new birth center, which increases the number of labor and delivery rooms from six to nine. The birth center also includes a c-section suite, so patients who need that procedure will be able to stay in one location.
The new addition also includes space for future expansion.
CMH CEO Michael Calhoun led the effort to get the project started and has seen it through from the beginning.
"It's not very often that a community gets a new hospital in their town," he said. "In fact, it's somewhat rare now, especially in rural areas. And so I think the community can celebrate that we're opening what is essentially a new hospital here."
He said the new space "positions us to be able to provide great care in our rural communities for the next 40 years."
Everything was thought through carefully during the building's design, from having separate staff entrances, hallways and elevators (the latter of which could be used to transport patients if needed) to having a new dock for ambulances (that can park up to four with the doors open) away from where the public walks. Staff provided input, and a special team was created to help identify best options and technology for the future of patient care, according to CMH Chief Nursing Officer Sarah Hanak. She said the project will transform the way the hospital delivers care. There's more space in patient rooms. The current ICU rooms can feel claustrophobic when a lot of equipment is needed to care for a patient, according to Hanak. The new addition's semi-private rooms are a game changer, she said.
"It will really enable us to be able to take the healing portion of care, take the compassion, take the privacy portion of care," she said, "and really make it centric to the patient."
Staff are excited about the technology upgrades, she said, including being able to tap and go for access. Virtual patient room signs will allow staff to see at a glance if a patient has a restriction or other medical necessity.
Each patient room comes with a large-screen smart TV, which can be used for watching favorite shows, but also to educate patients about a variety of topics and for telehealth.
Calhoun said the project has been a good recruitment tool.
"We've had more people join, more physicians join CMH, than at any other time in our history," he said. "Staff are joining CMH every day…people are seeing this, they're getting excited about it, and they're coming to work here, and that provides more access for our community for care."
Steve Retherford, CMH's director of design, development and construction, said it's been a smooth project because of good teamwork.
"We have a really good team," he said. "And that comes with hiring the right folks to help us and then having a good team on our side to direct those folks and what we really need."
That includes, of course, hiring a good construction manager (JE Dunn), he said.
The move to the new space will be done in stages throughout March, according to Calhoun, and they'll be operational by the end of April. CMH will do training leading up to that time as well "so that the people that are caring for patients know where to find things, they know how to operate in their new space," he said.
A grand opening for the public to tour the new hospital is planned for February 28 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. RSVPs are not required but are requested.
The architect for the project was HMN Architects.
Funding came from a variety of sources, but a 30-year, low-interest loan (2.5%) from the USDA's Office of Rural Development made the project possible, said Calhoun.
CMH is an underwriter of KSMU, but we report on them as we would any other healthcare facility.
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