The ceremony began with Vic Lee, President and CEO of BCHC welcoming and thanking area patrons for their support throughout the project.  Dr. Mark Palmer, chairman of the Board of Trustees, recognized and thanked the many individuals and organizations that collaborated to make this project a reality.  Hank Thieman, County Commissioner, continued the program and talked about the importance of having a attainable vision for small communities.  Dr. Lynette Kramer, Chief of Medical Staff, said the new addition with its private rooms will allow for greater patient privacy, which has been a goal of medical staff.  Pastor Mike Kern concluded the ceremony with a benediction.

  Patients will be admitted to the new wing in early July.

One of the main highlights is the new Labor and Delivery Rooms.

Labor delivery rooms

The Spacious room and home-like atmosphere allows for nearly every aspect of  labor to be taken care of in these relaxing, soothing evironments.

The large rooms allow for a multitude of guests and family to visit and never feel cramped or enclosed.

If mom is sleeping or needs a break, the guests can stay just outside in the new skylight lounge area. Sitting right outside the door, the skylight area is a large open space comfortable seating and a warm home feeling to it with the hospitality plants and furnishings.

We would like to extend a thank you to Beckenhauer Construction for some of the plants in the hospitality room in addition to the construction of the building itself.  The proximity to the labor delivery rooms in addition to the size of the skylight lounge, offers our guests a pleasent change of scenery while still remaining close to care.

Another large feature that we are showcasing is the special care rooms. Built larger still, these rooms allow for

the Special Care rooms are enlarged and have room for families to sleep and dine in.

friends and family to dine,  and sleep in addition to allowing enough room for total care in the comfort and privacy of a single room.

A look into a patient room from the corridor

Since the Winter snow has given way to May sun and warmth, it’s allowing work to progress much more smoothly. During the cold months the crew spent their time working in the relative warmth of the space heaters getting the interior planned and put together. Now that the cold is giving way, the interior itself is starting to show off its more refined and finished look.

Without any furniture yet, the rooms are looking spacious, with the bed being near the center of the room and able to be wheeled into place with all of the nessesary connection at hand. The other side of the room will contain most of the deskspace for flowers and gifts, as well as a pass-through closet that allows the staff to restock linens and other supplies without having to enter the room and distrub the patient.

Patient room casework with rubber base installed

All in all, the rooms are looking really good and the finished product is almost done. With a few minor addition and systems to be installed in the rooms and the surrounding infrastructure, the addition should be ready to go.

But, as I stated at the top, since the warmth and the sun has arrived, it has opened the door to new phasets of the project that can be worked on. One of them being the location of the new helipad. I’m sure everyone has seen the large red “+” on the main entrance drive.

Red concrete @ helipad placed and sawcut

With the pending completion of the new permanent helipad, the need for a temporary closing of the drive will be aliviated. As well as, the re-opening of the parking spaces that have been closed off to make room for the helicopter.

new larger restrooms being tiled

The new patient restrooms are larger and joined to each private patient room.  The restrooms were designed with patients in mind.  They’re larger making it easier for patients with IV poles or monitors to access the restrooms.

The front entrance area was resurfaced to blend with the new patient addition. This gives the new patient wing a uniformed look with the 2003 patient addition.

bringing aesthetics all together

We have seen a lot of progress over the last week. 

–O’Hara Plumbing has piping to 75% of the VAV boxes and should be seeing the missing valves by Wednesday of next week.  All VAV boxes should be piped by the end of next week.  Med gas piping will be complete next week.  By March 3^rd O’Hara should be off of the first floor and in the basement full time.  There will be guys in the basement to rough in the bathrooms next week as well.

–Middleton Electric has the 480 V feed from the transformer piped (will get measurements and wire to follow) and the emergency feed passed the sidewalk.  They are making arrangements with K & K Construction to come pour back the sidewalk and a few housekeeping pads in the basement.  Middleton has about 20% of the first floor left to tie together above ceiling, and should have this all complete by the end of next week.  There is a crew starting rough-in in the basement. 

–T&H have several finishers on site and plan to have the entire first floor done by March 3^rd.  The framers have been working on the stairs and are moving to the basement Monday.  The exterior walls will be framed and insulated next week.  They are going to coordinate their framing with Middleton to get all of the rough-in done in the exterior walls as they go.  EIFS is now complete on the east end of the building (a touch up remains on the north side of the building).

Painter spraying door frames on the east half of the first floor

–Schinstock Painting is now on site.  They sprayed doorframes on the east half of the addition Friday and will prime and first coat those rooms next week.  Schinstock will be on the west half of the first floor immediately following the sheetrock being finished.

–TC Ceilings will be on site March 1^st to install ceiling grid in the east half of the building and will be following Schinstock through the west half of the first floor.

–Complete Floors is to be on site March 3^rd to begin ceramic tile in the bathrooms

The exterior brick is complete and the windows are in place.

The skylight over the floor is also starting to take shape, allowing for not only natural light, but an wonderful aesthetic to the new wing.

concrete block work for stair and elevator nearing completion

Mother Nature finally gave the construction prject a break and provided two weeks of warm, dry weather. Construction crews were able to take advantage of the Indian summer weather by finishing the roof. To those who walk by the project, you will notice the steel for the exterior walls is now taking shape with the goal of having the building enclosed by Thanksgiving.

The crews are really pushing to have teambulance garage complete and ready for use by early December.

Interior blck and masonry work is completed on the elevator shaft and stairwell.  Plumbing crews are also doing a lot of inside pipe work.

The weather was a welcome relief from the cold, wet Ocotober and the building remains on schedule.

Aerial view of ambulance garage nearing completion

insulation and weatherproofing the roof

exterior walls beginning to take recognizable shape

The concrete floor for the new addition was poured during the week of October 26th and is now curing.

  The Hospital structure has really taken shape over the last 6-8 weeks.  The structural steel is in place except for the miscellaneous handrails and lintels for the masonry work.  The block work on the new ambulance garage was completed during the week of October 26^th.  The masonry crew is now working on the elevator shaft and the stairwell in the new basement.    Also during the last week of October, framers began working on the parapet wall on the roof frame.  Once they complete the parapet, the roof will be finished.  The roofing material is scheduled to arrive the week of November 2^nd with installation beginning the next day.  We anticipate having the roofing complete in the next two weeks.

  Mechanical, electrical and plumbing work has begun.  By the middle of December the interior walls of the new hospital wing will be framed.

  West of the project, grading work for the new parking lot has begun and will be followed by concrete work.  We anticipate completing and turning the parking lot over by mid November, if the weather cooperates.

Another early round of cool, rainy weather has put a damper on the project.  However, the project still remains one week ahead of schedule despite the rain.  Block work to tie in the new ambulance garage to the main building was completed during the week of October 19^th.  Steel workers and welders worked throughout the drizzly to complete the roof on the new building.  The construction crew will continue to prioritize enclosing the building before winter.  Concrete for the main floor is scheduled to be poured as soon as the weather permits.

  Elsewhere, behind the medical clinic, crews have cleared away trees and the existing picnic shelter roof to make way for the site  work needed to be done for the new parking lot.  Again, weather permitting, work is moving along to ready the site for a new 40-stall parking lot for BCHC employees.  The parking lot will free up the existing Fairview lot, which will be used exclusively for patients and their families.  With any luck, the new lot behind the Albion Medical Clinic will be opened in early November.