Renovations are scheduled to begin in November at Meadowview Regional Medical Center after more than a year of planning.
Plans for the renovations were announced in February, and since that time, hospital staff, physicians and administrators have been putting the finishing touches on the plan, which will involve every area of the facility except the new emergency room.
According to MRMC CEO Robert Parker, and Angie Calland, director of marketing, the $4.5 million construction project will redesign several departments, relocate physical therapy services, and includes an infusion center for chemotherapy patients.
“There will be renovations of the hospital floor by floor,” said Parker.
Beginning with the third floor, the women services area (maternity), general patient rooms, and the medical surgery unit will all undergo a general face-lift of new paint, removal of wallpaper, and new flooring. Patient rooms will be refurbished with walk-in showers instead of bathtubs and older televisions are being replaced with flat screen televisions.
The women services area will be redesigned to improve the functionality of the labor and delivery rooms, as well as updates to the nursery. The improvements come at a time when the number of births at MRMC has increased due to the closure of the maternity ward at the former Brown County General Hospital, now Southwest Regional Medical Center, in April.
Parker said the number of births has increased from 40 to 65 per month since April and the renovation design’s purpose is to handle future growth over the long term.
The medical surgical unit will also undergo a redesign for improved functionality and the dialysis center will relocate from the second floor to the third floor.
Second floor improvements include a refurbishing of the intensive care unit; enlargement of the two endoscopy suites, with added patient privacy; improvements to the four operating room, including one being expanded for orthopedic surgery; and the sleep lab will be relocated to the lower level of the Meadowview Orthopedic Center (former Ohio Valley Heart building) on Kenton Station Road.
Changes to the first floor of the hospital include the relocation of the physical therapy rehabilitation center. The center is currently next to the dining room and will move to the lower level of the Meadowview Orthopedic Center; renovation of the dining area and information desk; and a new infusion center for cancer patients. The cardiac rehabilitation center will remain on the first floor.
The creation of an infusion center is related to the hiring of Dr. Mohammed Shareef, who joins the physician staff with his hematology/oncology practice. Shareef’s oncology center will be located on the third floor of the hospital’s medical office building, and his first clinic day will be Nov. 12.
Calland said there is already a list of 30 patients for this new practice area and all employees of the oncology center are from the local area and the nurses hired are experienced in the field of oncology.
“This is huge,” Calland said of the oncology center.
The construction project is expected to take 12 to 14 months to complete and all services will continue during that time with a minimum of interruption to patients and staff as possible.
Parker said physician recruitment efforts continue with a focus on general surgery, pulmonologist and urology.
