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MEMPHIS, MISSOURI -- It was just last year, on April 15, 2010, that SCH CEO, Marcia Dial, took the call from USDA Secretary Vilsack’s office in Washington D.C. that the funding proposal submitted by the Hospital had been approved.   The hospital’s expansion & renovation project is funded, in part, by the United States Department of Agriculture as part of President Obama’s American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.  

“Construction is a sign of progress,” Scotland County Hospital CEO, Marcia Dialand said.

Both the south, emergency department and admissions department and the north in-patient rooms and surgery center are under roof and closed in.  The east addition at Memphis Medical Services has walls and a concrete floor and is expected to be under roof very soon.

This expansion and renovation project represents over 26,000 ft2 of new construction, 8,668 ft2 of fully renovated space and 4,800 ft2 of partially renovated space.  The funding opportunity that was presented to the Hospital only provides for construction costs – bricks & mortar.  Hospital officials are preparing for a capital campaign to furnish the new and renovated areas in the Hospital.

The emergency & admissions department construction has a September 30, 2011, completion date, while the new clinic/community room/library has an October 31, 2011, completion date.  The new surgery center will be completed by November 30, 2011, and the in-patient rooms/med-surg will be completed by December 31, 2011.  The new emergency department will provide ER staff greater technology capabilities and more space including a triage area while ER patients & families will have more privacy and a comfortable waiting area.  The admissions area will have a beautiful atrium at the entrance on the south side, partially-private admissions cubicles, comfortable waiting area and a canopy for easier access to drop off and pick up patients during inclement weather. 

The new surgery center & procedure room will be a state-of-the-art surgery facility allowing for more comfortable and private accommodations for the surgery patient and their families while providing the larger space that physicians and nurses need to perform today’s types of surgical procedures.   The new surgery center at Scotland County Hospital is where this local hospital will rise above others in the area.   While having surgery is not always pleasant, the state-of-the art facility coupled with the knowledgeable & talented OR staff will offer surgery patients & their families soothing surroundings and modern technology.  The new surgery center will significantly increase efficiency and patient comfort.

This expansion and renovation project was not sought after to merely beatify the Hospital.  Hospital officials & administration recognized the need to add space to patient care areas in order to provide more efficient and effective patient care now and in the future.  Hundreds of articles have been published on the fact that healthcare consumers are now requesting a higher level of privacy and modern accommodations when given the opportunity to choose a hospital.  The new and renovated private in-patient rooms at Scotland County Hospital will all have a private bath with shower and two rooms will have special accommodations for the bariatric patient (a branch of medicine that deals with the control and treatment of obesity).

The clinic addition at Memphis Medical Services will house a community room, medical library and clinic space.  Hospital officials believe the medical library will be a well-received addition to the community.  When a patient has been diagnosed by one of our physicians and they request further information, a physician can refer them to our medical library and a library volunteer will walk them through resources in the Patient Education Center in the Library.  This section of the Library will house a computer lab with directed and approved patient education websites, multi-media viewing area for instructional videos, disease organization’s literature and resources, 3-D anatomic models and other instructional aids, approved books and periodicals.  Additionally, hospital staff will have access to the Library resources and be highly involved with development of the resources for both patients and Hospital staff.   Medical Staff have requested extensive archives of guest lectures, in-services, educational/case conferences and Journal Club to support their healthcare delivery at Scotland County Hospital.