Page 26 - Flathead Beacon // 8.13.14

26 | AUGUST 13, 2014
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The nurses station in the emergency room at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
OVERCROWDING
Continued from page 5
“We have never done a public cam- paign before and we wouldn’t do one unless we absolutely needed it,” said Tagen Vine, president of the Kalispell Regional Healthcare Foundation. “With emergency services, there is no new rev- enue generated from this. This is just a replacement of a facility and expan- sion that will cost more. So if we can do it through philanthropy, it keeps us from having to do other things to offset the investment.”
The expansion and upgrades would increase the ER space from 8,179 square- feet to 37,516 square-feet. The number of patient rooms would jump from 13 to 30, with new specialized treatment rooms for trauma patients, sexual assault vic- tims and psychiatric and detox inci- dents. There would also be three nursing stations, instead of only one, and a large private family waiting area.
The development would require the hospital to expand the ER onto Conway Drive, forcing both the road and the ALERT hangar to be relocated along with underground utilities. This added an additional $10 million to the project’s overall cost.
The ALERT program, with an annual operating cost of $3.2 million, loses roughly $770,000 each year, according to KRMC.
The hospital has envisioned boost- ing its emergency services for years. But before being able to do that, the first phase of development involving the sur- gical services department needed to relocate many adjacent departments. In early 2013, the hospital completed a $42 million project that added a three-story tower onto the campus. The expansion doubled the size of the former surgical department, adding eight new operat- ing rooms, 18 same-day surgery beds, 18 post-anesthesia care beds, two endos- copy and two fluoroscopy procedure rooms as well as nurse care and physi- cian stations.
The expansion also opened up a new section of campus that could be utilized for emergency services.
As always, health care needs are complex. At KRMC, the types of urgent incidents span a wide range, includ- ing vehicle accidents, bear attacks, drug overdoses and sexual assaults.
An average of nearly 70 sexual assault victims a year seek ER services at KRMC, according to Vine. Yet the hospital lacks proper accommodations, such as a room specifically designed for extremely sensitive situations such as those.
“That would be a great thing for us to be able to provide,” Vine said.
There is also an increasing amount of drug abuse and detox incidents flooding into the ER year-round, according to the hospital. In 2012, the hospital treated 667 patients with alcohol, drug and/or men- tal health issues, according to KRMC. These patients, demanding unique place- ment and attention, stay an average of five hours in the ER, and currently only one room is dedicated to detox and psy- chiatric care. Before an individual can be sent to Pathways Treatment Center, they must be examined and properly treated through the ER.
In light of recent nationwide events, the hospital has also identified the need for a mass decontamination room in case of biological or chemical disasters.
As the population of Northwest Montana grows, KRMC expects to see roughly 27,000 patients in its ER by next year. The hospital currently serves a six- county area with roughly 200,000 resi- dents, and 30 percent of the patients at KRMC are from outside the Flathead Valley, according to the hospital.
“I’m really proud of what we have here and what we do,” Stubbs said. “We have a great team and we take good care of people.”
For more information about sup- porting the emergency services expan- sion and upgrade, contact the Kalispell Regional Healthcare Foundation at 751-6930.
[email protected]
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