A formal groundbreaking ceremony for Greene County General Hospital’s $7.5 million expansion/renovation project was held on Oct. 12.
Several community members and representatives from local businesses joined hospital employees as the first shovels of dirt were turned.
“This addition will expand our ER from a 3 bed unit to an 8 room emergency department with state of the art facilities for patients. Our physical therapy department has been recognized by our patients as having the best staff in the area. The addition will allow us to have the best facilities as well. We will be constructing a physical therapy department that is not only larger than our existing facilities but full of modern patient conveniences,” said Chief Financial Officer/Interim Chief Executive Officer Tim Norris. “Our lab and radiology departments will be remodeled into patient friendly spaces. The pharmacy department will be relocated and expanded to allow for improved support of our patient care. Lastly, we have a new and modern main entrance complete with a patient friendly waiting area and an expanded gift shop for our very supportive Auxiliary.”
Construction of Phase I, which includes the new emergency department addition as well as the new main entrance and physical therapy renovation, is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2013. Construction of Phase II, which includes renovation of the mammography area, radiology area, ultrasound room, and imaging department, is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2014.
Until the construction is completed, there will a bit of transition to go through.
“Our business office is being relocated to the house on the other side of the hospital. Our physical therapy department will be relocated to a mobile office space just outside the back of the hospital. Our main entrance and ER entrance will become a construction zone so a new temporary entrance will be built for the first construction phase,” Norris said. “This transition will not always be easy but the good news is that this is Greene County. I know that the people of the Greene County have a can do attitude.
It is that spirit that will be the driving force through all of the transition.”