The Future of Healthcare Taking Shape at Grace, Valdese - New or Renovated Areas at Both Hospitals Will Be Opening Soon

Click here to view this story as it appeared in the Morganton News Herald (Includes additional graphics and information) in pdf format.

BY ANNA WILSON
BLUE RIDGE HEALTHCARE

MORGANTON - A little more than a year after the start of construction, the building projects at Blue Ridge HealthCare’s Grace and Valdese Hospitals are beginning to take recognizable form.

“The projects at both campuses are going very well,” said Kathy Bailey, Senior Vice President, Professional and Support Services. She is overseeing the construction. “We are nearing the stage of construction where the areas start taking shape and finishes, such as flooring, wallcoverings and paint, are going in.”

The $100 million project is far from complete, however, and hospital visitors and patients may be inconvenienced a while longer. Currently, the Visitor Elevators and Main Lobby are closed to tie-in the existing space and the new addition. They are expected to reopen mid-January.

The main focus of attention has been the 500-space two-story parking deck being built in front of Grace Hospital. According to construction officials, the deck may open as early as mid-January.

Once the deck is open, the Emergency Department entrance, which has been used as the main entrance to the hospital for the last year, will be closed. All hospital visitors and patients will need to use the front entrance off the parking deck. The ambulance bay will remain open.

“When the parking structure and addition are completed, parking will be more plentiful, closer to the building, and patients and visitors will no longer have to cope with our hilly terrain to enter the facility,” said Larry Pizzorni, Assistant Vice President, Support Services.

The true centerpieces of the plans at both hospitals are new, high-profile outpatient centers stretching across the facades. The “medical mall” design will place most outpatient services along an internal street that weaves new construction and renovation into a seamless, one-stop-shop facility.

“The design at both campuses includes a lot of windows and skylights so we have very open public areas,” Bailey said. “The clinical treatment areas are also spacious and designed for the maximum comfort of the patient.”

Over the next year, more areas at both hospitals will open including:

Grace Hospital

The new addition should be completed in January 2007 and will house Administration, Medical Records, Medical Staff Services, Outpatient Women’s Diagnostic Center, Mammography and Stereotactic, and Outpatient Cardiac Center.

The renovation of Outpatient Radiology, MRI, CT, Radiographic/Fluoroscopic System and X-Ray should be finished in June 2007.

The first phase of 3rd Floor/Women’s Center renovation opened in October. This project should be completed by June 2007.

Valdese Hospital

The new addition should be completed by February and will include Medical Records, Medical Staff Services, three digital operating rooms, Outpatient Prep/Recovery Rooms, Rehab Services, Nuclear Camera, Nuclear Medicine, Bone Density, and Ultrasound and the new cafeteria/café.

The renovation will be completed in phases. In April, the CT, Mammography, Processing, R&F, Exam and Waiting Areas should be complete and the Cancer Center open. The $4.6 million renovation of the Cancer Center features new, state-of-the-art treatment planning and radiation therapy systems.

The center will feature curbside parking with a dedicated entrance and covered drop-off for patients. Medical Oncology will be expanded to accommodate a physician office and exam rooms and an expanded area with special beds and chairs for patients receiving chemotherapy and nonchemotherapy infusions.

The expansion will also include a new look and amenities for oncology and ambulatory care patients. Over half of the treatment space will overlook a special garden where patients and family members can relax or meditate.

In May 2007, the existing Doctor’s Clinic will be demolished and physicians will move into a new Medical Office Building. Parking may become scarce and Blue Ridge is looking at ways to expand parking until construction is complete, Pizzorni said.

Between June and August, the Valdese expansion and renovation should be complete.

“I feel confident the community will be very pleased with the finished product and proud of their community hospitals,” Bailey said.

ANNA WILSON is a writer and graphic artist in Blue Ridge HealthCare’s Marketing and Public Relations Department.

The second largest employer in Burke County, Blue Ridge HealthCare serves a four-county area and includes Grace and Valdese hospitals, Blue Ridge Home HealthCare, Grace Heights and College Pines Health & Rehabilitation Centers, Grace Ridge Retirement Community, Phifer Wellness Center and a number of physician practices.