Hospital moves forward with upgrades

Contractors are officially at work inside of East Adams Rural Hospital, beginning what only a small portion of the work that will occur within the building. CEO/CFO Gary Bostrom said two temporary walls have been installed in the clinic area to allow work to begin within that portion of the hospital.

The closure of a portion of the clinic means other hospital rooms are being utilized for clinical visits.

Bostrom said it is the beginning of changes patients will experience at the hospital throughout the next year, but all resources in the hospital will remain available to provide quality health care to patients.

The physical therapy department is now fully operational out of the dental office building that neighbors the hospital. The district is also working on leveling ground and graveling a lot near the PT building to place a module unit where the PT department will expand too. Bostrom said the largest benefit of the new space is the privacy it provides for patients.

The IT department and CNO Brenda Herr have moved into the space previously used by the PT department.

To date, Bostrom said the ceiling has been taken out of the clinic and work is now focused around the installation of the new electrical panels and upgrading the electrical system.

With this being the initial stage of the construction projects within the hospital, Bostrom said the hospital is planning to submit a call for bids from contactors.

Currently Apollo has been hired to complete the energy savings portion of the project, such as air handlers and boilers, but not the fire and life safety phase.

The fire and life safety portion of the project has been cited by the Department of Health and those are mandatory updates needing to be made to the facility.

Bostrom traveled to Olympia two weeks ago to meet with DOH and ask for an extension on the deadline. With the bond passing, Bostrom asked for the extension in order for the fire and life safety upgrades to be made in conjunction with the overall project.

Bostrom said it would cost an estimated $300,000 extra to complete the project by the May deadline and then uninstall the new upgrades as the remainder of the projects progressed. The total project is expected to take 18-24 months.

During the initial construction, Bostrom said an unknown underground diesel tank was discovered and they are now going to bid for the removal of the tank. The discovery postpones the work slightly, but Bostrom said it is only one small portion of the discoveries he is sure will be made throughout the project, as there are always unknowns.

Bostrom also announced the bonds have been sold at $.59 per thousand of assessed property value. This is the rate Bostrom had anticipated during the bond election and is happy it came in at the same rate.

The district will pay 4.72 percent interest on the 30-year bond.