Work begins on Critical Care Unit remodel

Thanks to outstanding donor generosity, the renovation of Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital’s Critical Care Unit (CCU) is now underway. The entire renovation area has been excavated and a large opening has been created to make way for a 700-square-foot addition that will hold the department’s new equipment storage area, freeing up a patient room that has been used for storage until now.

Workers are now focused on framing in the addition and also installing framework for the new HVAC system that will be installed. "After that, we’ll go through each patient room and update it with new paint, flooring and lighting," said Arlen Emmert, the hospital’s director of engineering.

"At the same time, each patient room will be connected to new ductwork and the new HVAC system. That means that each individual room will have separate temperature controls—a big improvement."

Other improvements that will result from the project include an ADA-accessible bathroom for patients, equipped with a shower; a ceiling-mounted patient lift; and a medical air compressor and distribution system.

Department managers propose projects for foundation funding  

Each year, hospital department and clinic managers present ideas to the foundation board for equipment and programs that will benefit patients and employees. In 2011, the foundation funded more than $118,000 in proposals. Examples include:

• A pulse oximeter and holter recorder for the Physical Therapy Department
• A recumbent cross trainer for the Sweet Home Physical Therapy Clinic
• A vital signs monitor for the Girod Birth Center
• A fetal heart monitor for the Emergency/Urgent Care Department
• Two treadmills for the Cardiac Rehabilitation Department
• A platelet incubator/rotator, a centrifuge and an incubator for the hospital laboratory
• An endoscopic surgery LCD monitor for the Surgery Department  
• A phlebotomy chair for Main Street Family Medicine