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Elbow Lake’s ELEAH plans structural changes
Published 7:27am Thursday, March 11, 2010The ELEAH Medical Center in Elbow Lake cannot, as it moves forward into the 21st century, continue with its infrastructure shortcomings. With that in mind, a consulting firm is working with the ELEAH board to come up with a viable building plan.
Three options are under discussion at the present time.
Option one is to construct an addition onto the current structure. Option two would Include building in two phases. First would come an addition to the ELEAH structure, followed by removing the current building and adding onto the site of the present structure in Elbow Lake. Option three would be to build an entirely new facility on a new site.
New ELEAH Medical Center CEO Tom Kooiman said the Elbow Lake hospital is not unlike many similar-sized health facilities across the nation that face serious challenges. He and ELEAH board members are building their recommendations on expected patient volumes.
A master plan for ELEAH calls for a phased project that adds clinic exam and procedure spaces as well as a modern surgery suite. The addition and renovation projects, said Kooiman, can be completed while the existing programs stay in operation.
“The expanded volume of work will meet community needs for several years to come,” said Kooiman. “At the same time, we need to adhere to a new federal mandate that all medical records be electronically stored and digital.” ELEAH has selected a vendor to make the needed changes, with all new hardware and software. The price tag is close to $600,000.
Kooiman said the project will include upgrading every computer from the nursing stations to reception and billing over the next few months. This plan involves both purchasing of hardware and software.
Another change at ELEAH will be an upgrade to the Emergency Department.
Kooiman would like to see ELEAH offer a more advanced system in order to have fewer transfers from Elbow Lake to larger hospitals.
ELEAH contracted for a demographic study of the area it serves to see what services it should be providing in future years. In addition, the board hired an architectural firm and consulting firm.
“Our board, in coordination with a site analysis, is developing a strategic plan of where it should be five and ten years down the road,” said Kooiman.
Additional challenges with the current facility include the need for handicapped rest rooms, a leaking roof, sewer problems, a parking lot that’s too small, and energy use and technology issues. Those are additional reasons why Kooiman and the hospital board say that things cannot stay the same at ELEAH.
“The board recognizes that now is a good time to build,” he said, “with financing and construction costs both way down.”
About 65 percent of ELEAH’s patients are Medicare patients, he said, and that number is only going to grow.
“We hope to have a building option selected by the end of March,” he said, “and the financial study completed by Aug. 15. Then we’ll pursue funds for rural development projects such as ours.”
