Plans revealed for possible new hospital

Could the county play host to a brand new hospital in the near future? After six months working on a master plan for Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD), architect Curtis Hendershott of Treanor HL presented the board of trustees with four options to make that dream a reality.

“As with many hospitals in the nation…your facility is really reaching the end of its life cycle,” said Hendershott as he began his presentation, which included four options that ranged from an overhaul of the existing hospital to an entirely new building in a new location.

Hendershott told the board that the benefits of modernizing the facility include a decrease to the currently high costs of operation – not just in utilities and maintenance, but also staffing because the building configuration makes it difficult to utilize staff effectively – and a boost to staff retention and recruitment.

Some of the issues Hendershott aimed to solve with his study, he said, were the lack of private rooms for long-term care residents and the “woefully undersized” facilities within the hospital, such as the lab. With that in mind, he walked the board through four potential scenarios.

Building Overhaul

The first scenario on Hendershott’s list was an overhaul of the current building within its existing shell. This, he said, would be the least impactful option, but would enhance the services within.

The emergency department would receive an overhaul “to bring that up to current standards,” while the admin would move to the center of the building and the lab and education center would expand out into the current courtyard. The staff break room would double in size, solving the problem that the current one is small and not being used.

This “least costly option” would have a price tag between $23.6 and $26.9 million, Hendershott said, and could be completed in phases with an end date of 2025 (assuming construction began in early 2023). It has the lowest initial cost and addresses many needs, he said, but the downside is that CCMSD would still be stuck with a building that will need to be reconsidered in about 15 years.

Modest Expansion

The second scenario was similar to the first, but expands the clinic in a “race track” configuration with support services in the middle. The building would have registration in a central location and the nurse station in a position to oversee and support, which Hendershott called a “nice, efficient use of your staff”.

This scenario would see an increase in square footage of approximately 10,000 square feet, with inpatient rooms increased from 12 to 16 and a light remodel to the long-term care unit. It could be completed by 2026 with a price tag between $25 and $28.7 million.

“Clearly, this is the winner out of those two,” said Hendershott of the first two scenarios, telling the board that it has the same pros and cons as the first option presented.

Multi-year Rebuild

Hendershott’s third option would see the entire hospital demolished and rebuilt in a series of phases lasting until 2028. A new wing would protrude south from the main area, across what is currently the road in front of the building.

To the east of this new addition would be a new parking lot. Two other parking lots would be included, creating separate parking for hospital visitors, clinic patients and long-term care visitors.

To the west of the addition would be the access point for the emergency department, which would be located in the new area along with med surg. Elsewhere, the remodel would create private rooms within the long-term care unit.

The project would involve the purchase of a land lot. The cost, not including this purchase, would be an estimated $41 to $46 million.

Hendershott acknowledged the much higher price, but said, “If we don’t dream, then we don’t know what the options are.”

Each area would be tackled in a separate phase to allow the hospital to continue functioning throughout, which he said would lead to, “a long duration, but you end up with a new facility.”

This fully phased replacement would eventually see “brand new everything” within the hospital, which Hendershott said also has the advantage of providing a foundation for provider and staff recruitment. However, he listed the downsides as the relocation of an existing street, many years of ongoing construction and the district’s financial ability to support the development.

New Campus

The final option would be an entirely new hospital campus built on a new parcel of land, for which Hendershott estimated the board would need to purchase between five and ten acres.

“You’re in the building as soon as or sooner than the third quarter of 2025,” he said of the fourth scenario, which would cost approximately $36 to $40.6 million not including the land.

Next Steps

The master plan is not a first step for the board of trustees. Rather, it was commissioned as an exploratory exercise to help board members understand what might be possible and decide what goal to pursue.

Board members asked questions about the four options, such as whether it would be worth considering a two-story configuration (it would not, said Hendershott, for efficiency and also if the district sticks with its current building, which could not support it) and whether, as mused by Trustee Ed Ray, it would be possible to begin with the cheaper option two and later transition to the more desirable third option.

“You, as a board, really need to choose what direction,” said Hendershott, indicating that the next step would be a summary report including some final details.