28 May 2012 Conway Regional expansion nears completion

The clock is ticking on a new high tech health care addition at Conway Regional Health System as the staff is preparing to move in.

The month of May is winding down and Conway Regional is preparing to take possession of an 85,000-square-foot addition that will soon hold the medical center’s new surgery department and eight new obstetrics rooms.

Nabholz Construction Inc., the general contractor, is completing the building phase of the $32 million renovation and expansion.

The two-story addition has begun to blend into the northeast corner of the medical center’s campus, completing an almost two-year building phase. Ground work began in July 2010 with 43 subcontractors and vendors working steadily toward this month. At one point, 130 construction workers were on the job.

Conway Regional is undertaking the largest monetary expansion in its history and community support is needed. The community-based ONE capital campaign began in 2010 and is continuing with a goal of reaching $2 million to help with a portion of the expenses. So far, $1.7 million has been raised. The remainder of the cost is being paid for with reserves and external financing.

Enormous task awaits

For the Conway Regional staff, another enormous task awaits and time is fleeting.

Once Conway Regional takes control, additional surgical equipment and support systems will be installed. Employees will be trained in the use of the new equipment, which includes high tech booms that extend from the ceiling of ORs and hold surgical equipment, lighting, video monitors and cameras.

Due to the sterile environment, the public will only get short glimpses of the new surgery department. However, surgical equipment manufacturer Stryker is so pleased with the new equipment that the company plans call for the new surgery department to become “a show site” for regional health care leaders who want to upgrade their facilities.

Robert McCarron, MD, orthopaedic surgeon, said, “The expansion of the ORs will benefit our patients and community by providing a state-of-the-art facility that will improve their surgical experience.”

The new obstetrics rooms will provide added relief for the Conway Regional Women’s Center which is bursting at the seams with newborn babies. Last year, 1,854 babies were born at Conway Regional.

“I think we definitely have one of the nicest facilities in the state from a birthing and gynecological standpoint. We have become a hub in the area of labor and delivery,” said Andrew Cole, MD, obstetrician/gynecologist. “I have patients coming from Marshall, Harrison, Mountain home; a lot from Russellville. I had one patient who drove from New Boston, Texas, to have her babies.”

At some point, surgical equipment and supplies will be relocated from the current ORs to the new ones, moving from one secure, sterile environment to another while maintaining surgical services. Afterward, health and building inspectors will step in to make sure the building is ready for patients.

Once inspections are completed and a sterile environment is in place, physicians can begin performing the first surgery cases.

Surgery cases are expected to begin and the obstetrics rooms will open in early to mid July.

The clock is ticking.