Construction Update

By Keryn Thompson-Kolar

It's been a long time coming.

Ground was broken July 27, 2006 for a $31.3 million expansion of the hospital's emergency department and surgical services area. This event marked the beginning of huge changes for Onslow Memorial Hospital.

"This is the most significant healthcare event in this community in over 30 years," said Ed Piper, president and CEO.
The hospital was built for about $6 million back in 1974, with its structure based on a '50s and '60s model. "People at that time came to an ER only for true trauma, for lifesaving emergencies," Piper said. "People now demand a 24-hour walk-in clinic" that addresses their health care needs in a timely fashion. Currently, "we're seeing over 120 patients a day in an ER designed for 80. There's no room in the hospital to expand, so we have to go beyond the walls. And that means we build a new structure."

The changes won't stop at the bricks and mortar.

"We're also trying to improve our people culture - the way the staff interacts with the public," Dr. Piper said. "I always say that, other than a church, a hospital is the most sacred ground for a community. There's no other place people come to seek peace, from a physical, mental and spiritual perspective."
OMH's goal is that patients "be well taken care of clinically, but also have a human experience that is healing to them."

It will put some people's minds at ease to hear that no tax money is being spent on the building project.

"The public needs to know that we at the Onslow County Hospital Authority are doing this on our own - not requiring any commitment of funds from our community," Piper said.

Financing is coming from the recent sale of tax-exempt revenue bonds. Roy Smith, the hospital authority's chief financial officer, said many people were surprised by the great demand for the bonds they were seeking to sell.
"There has been a tremendous interest in our bonds by institutional and private investors," Smith said. "That resulted in a lower interest rate than expected - just 4.8 percent.

"I would like people in Onslow County to have a window into the outside world, to be able to see how others view this hospital. They see this hospital and this community as having a bright future, and they are confident enough to invest their capital."
The bonds will be paid off with revenue generated by the hospital in years to come.

"It's exciting, when you really stop to think about it," said Penney Burlingame, Senior Vice President, Clinical Services. "We are setting the pace for healthcare in the future. This gets it on a new track."

She is particularly pleased with the streamlining of services that will occur because of the expansion plan. The design, she says, "addresses patient-flow issues from the time people walk through the door until they leave ... and it starts before they ever get out of their cars."

That's because patients and visitors will be able to park in the area of the service they're seeking, so they "won't have to traipse all over the hospital to get to where they need to be."

Great gains usually come with some growing pains, but inconvenience to the public will be very limited during this expansion project, said Daniel T. Waller, Senior Vice President, Support Services.

"The new part of the building is going directly over a parking lot for staff, physicians and students," Waller said.

"The front parking area for visitors and patients is not being affected by the construction. There may be minor disruptions at times as entrances to lots are widened, but otherwise, public parking shouldn't change."
Drivers should be aware, though, that the service road connecting White Street to Memorial Drive behind the hospital will be closed during construction.
Completion of the building project is expected in July 2008.

"We aspire to be a great community hospital," Piper said. "We are our brothers' and sisters' keepers - their safety net. We need a state-of-the-art facility for state-of-the-art care. We want to be a place that everyone in the community should be proud of."