Health & Wellness
2011-10-20 10:42:01
Planned growth
Q: I hear that Via Christi is planning an expansion. Can you tell me what part of it will be expanded and what services will it impact?
A: Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg has announced plans to build an $18 million expansion to its surgical center. The expansion will be on the south end of the hospital. Groundbreaking is expected in April with an 18 to 24-month timetable for completion. The new center is expected to be two to two and one half times the size of a hospital floor.
The new surgery center will feature new operating, endoscopy and pre-, post-operating and recovery rooms. It will also include renovations to the hospital’s imaging center which includes CT, MRI, X-ray and nuclear medicine. It is hoped that the new surgery center will attract an additional 20 surgeons, physicians and other specialists to the hospital over the next three years.
“We talk about this being a great place to receive care, but this is also a great place to practice medicine,” said Via Christi Pittsburg CFO Deb Bainbridge. “We know investing in state of the art technology is going to help us bring those physicians here to serve the patients of our region.”
There also will be a new family waiting area, which will put families closer to physicians, patients and nurses during surgeries.
“It seems like a small thing, but the new waiting area is something we’re very excited about,” said Bainbridge. “We want families to stay close to the doctor, close to the nursing staff and close to where their loved one is receiving care. That way they know in real time what’s gong on and it’s easier for us to stay in touch with them.”
The expansion continues a number of capital projects aimed at modernizing the hospital. Beginning eight years ago, a new outpatient area was completed, including an emergency room, the Via Christi Heart Center and QuickCare. A new intensive care unit was added on the fifth floor in 2006 and a cardiac step-down unit was added in 2009. Last year, the hospital completed an $800,000 renovation of its community entrance, added a $2.7 million linear accelerator to the Via Christi Cancer Center and $1.5 million in technology to the heart center.
“This renovation has to happen in order for us to continue to deliver the kind of care patients expect,” Bainbridge said. “Health care is a continually evolving science. You have to refine the way you do deliver it, and move forward with technology to stay cutting edge. If you had to choose where you receive care, you go to the best facility with the best technology where you find the best trained staff and physicians. We want to be that place, and to do so we reinvest in our ministry.”
