At the Eureka Springs Hospital Commission’s meeting Monday afternoon, ESH CEO Peter Savoy announced this would be his last day before he moves back to Louisiana to another Allegiance hospital in Leesville, near his home area “where the grandkids are.” He spoke highly of those he worked with at ESH and said Allegiance had made the smart decision to replace him with Vicki Andert, Chief of Nursing. Savoy said Allegiance, in looking for his successor, asked him about Andert, and he replied, “She runs the place anyway.”
Progress on renovations
Diane Adler, Project Manager for Bates Architects, provided an update on the status of where the architects are in planning ESH renovations, saying the first two Work Efforts have been completed. This study included a floor-by-floor assessment of deficits of different zones as well as an overview of flow patterns and space allocation.
Adler said they can create more efficient space by identifying issues such as the kitchen is in the basement, so meals take a circuitous path to get to patients.
Laundry also has to go outside to get to its destination, plumbing in the basement needs improvement, and offices are undersized. The front entrance of the hospital is not compatible with standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, so patients who have difficulty must enter through the emergency room entrance. Also, the general cross-traffic inside is not ideal, but a redesign can organize an efficient flow of traffic. Outside parking will also be addressed.
The helipad is on the opposite side of the building from the emergency room, so trauma patients must go through the hallway in a general area and down a ramp to get to the helicopter. The radiology department is spread out in three parts of the building.
Adler said the hospital as is comprises about 22,000 square feet, but a “correctly-sized” facility based on the needs would need to be 36,000 square feet bigger. In other words, size of the hospital would need to more than double.
She said this is where her team will design different options based on cost, and financing will determine what gets built. The upgrade could also be accomplished in phases based on affordability.
Adler asked the commission to plan a special meeting soon and allow for two hours. She said it is time to develop alternative planning schedules, come up with an implementation plan and talk about conceptual budgets with timelines attached. There will be input from the engineers to aid discussion, and Adler’s final summary of recommendations.
Old boxes
Commissioner Barbara Dicks said she received from the family of former commissioner Bob Walling several boxes of old commission documents. Dicks complimented former commissioners on their meticulous record keeping and she now has minutes of meetings for the past 10 years. However, she wants to find another place for the boxes. She asked at city hall and might get help there finding a place. Commissioners authorized Dicks to pursue renting a storage place if necessary.
Other items
- Realtor Ken Riley brought in a bigger than life replica of a check representing his donation of $1500 to the Hospital Commission. He said he really appreciated the exceptional care he received while in ESH, and he knows he is not the only one.
Next regular meeting will be Monday, June 18, at 12:30 p.m., at ECHO Clinic.