Hospital looks at expansion
While still tying up loose ends on negotiations with the Town over the McFlex Parcel, Mammoth Hospital is simultaneously looking forward to what it might do with that land once its reclaimed.
“According to the [McFlex] contract we are supposed to receive 30 percent of the property,” explained Hospital CEO Gary Boyd. “But on the current map it’s obvious that our portion is not at 30 percent. We [Town and Hospital] are all in agreement now that it’s not 30 percent, so we are trying to bend Tavern Road somehow to get the Hospital its entire portion and honor the original contract.”
One potential for a portion of the parcel could be a new inpatient facility that would be part of a larger Hospital master facilities plan. By 2020 the original hospital building from 1976 must come into earthquake compliance according to SB 1953. However, it might be more cost-effective to demolish the old structure and build new, rather than renovate.
On Thursday, Anova Nexus Architects presented three master plan concepts to the Hospital Board that would not only demolish the original hospital building and build a new inpatient facility, but would also shuffle services around in other buildings in an effort to make Mammoth’s hospital experience run smoother for patients. For example, outpatient entrances on one side of the property and inpatients on the other with diagnostics and treatments in the middle so, as Anova President Don Finlayson explained, inpatients in hospital gowns with everything hanging out don’t have to be wheeled past their neighbors who are just there for a quick checkup.
The concept is just in the beginning stages. Before any decisions are made the Hospital’s 10-year financial plan needs to be fully vetted and nailed down — a task that CFO Melanie Van Winkle is currently working to complete.
“First you have to figure out your exact needs as well as how much can be afforded,” Finlayson stated. “But I always like to start with the end in mind.”
Boyd hoped the Board could choose how to move forward with the expansion before the end of the calendar year.
