HUTCHINSON, Kan. – A $23 million construction project for a new and advanced Intensive Care Unit at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center will be coupled with an upgrade in core mechanical and electrical infrastructure within the hospital complex. Community leaders will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for 11:30 a.m., Thursday, January 5.
John Deardoff, Hutchinson City Manager and a member of the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors, said the HRMC upgrades rank as one of the top ten construction projects in the city’s history.
Wes Hoyt, Chief Operating Officer for Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System (HRHS), said the total project will be completed in two phases.
Hoyt said Phase I will include a modernization of the hospital’s electrical and mechanical infrastructure grid, with a completion date slated for on or before July 1, 2017.
Hoyt said the $5 million upgrade is the most extensive and significant enhancement in electrical and mechanical facilities undertaken during the 40 plus year history of HRMC.
Phase II, an $18 million construction of a single story, 15,000 square feet ICU located on the west edge of the HRMC campus adjoining the hospital’s Emergency Department, gets underway June 1 with a completion date slated for December 1, 2018. The ICU is utilized an average of 3,000 patient days per year to treat seriously ill patients.
The 18-bed facility will include larger rooms than the original ICU, providing a more user-friendly atmosphere, allowing family members to be with their loved ones during what may be the most critical time in the patient’s life.
The final design for the ICU was the culmination of efforts by the HRMC Leadership Team along with a committee of nurses and staff members who developed a blueprint for a unit that met the needs of patients and families.
Nabholz Construction, a mid-western company that specializes in major construction, served as construction manager for the hospital’s emergency department expansion in 2014 and is the winning bidder for the ICU project. Area subcontractors will be utilized whenever possible.
Kruse Corporation, a Wichita-based firm with a major office in Hutchinson has been retained to supervise the mechanical upgrades and Heineken Electric, a central-Kansas firm headquartered in Beloit, will oversee electrical upgrades.
Health Facilities Group (HFG), a Wichita-based architectural firm has developed plans for the project while Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC), a Wichita company, drew blueprints for the mechanical upgrades.
Updates on the construction progress as well as any changes in patient access, will be released to the news media and general public monthly or on an as-needed basis and will also be available on the Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System website at www.hutchregional.com.
Ken Johnson, President and CEO of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, said the ICU construction and mechanical upgrades will serve the healthcare needs of the hospital for the foreseeable future.
“The technological upgrades will provide an opportunity to further enhance the patients’ experience with HRMC and provide the means to deliver more efficient care to the patients we serve,” Johnson said. “The multi-faceted project is undertaken in a time when the healthcare industry is being challenged as we plan for a future that includes an aging population throughout our service area.”
“Our continued existence is based in part on proactive changes as we prepare for a future that is uncertain,” Johnson continued. “Throughout our history, HRMC has taken its responsibility seriously and these improvements are a major step forward to continue that tradition.”