Community invited to tour New Reid OCC
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Opening Aug. 1 on Reid Hospital’s new campus at 1100 Reid Parkway, the New Reid’s Outpatient Care Center will change how medical services and area residents connect.
Barry MacDowell, Reid president and CEO, invited the community to celebrate the new OCC with open house tours Saturday, July 21, from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
One of the most visible changes is the Hunt Patient Care Center, a first-floor pavilion in the OCC, which consolidates in one area outpatient services that have historically been scattered through hospital complexes. LuAnne Christofaro, Patient Care Center director, said the Hunt Center “allows us to separate inpatient and outpatient care so that in both cases, the care can be given in a more efficient manner.”
“We anticipate thousands of area residents will want to see this facility,” MacDowell said. The guided, walk-through tours will take 45-minutes to an hour, he said, and added that Reid’s first guests should wear comfortable shoes.
Also preparing to open is ROSE – Reid Outpatient Surgery and Endoscopy, a new joint venture between Reid Hospital and its physician co-owners. The first surgeries are set for late July.
“This represents a major step in Reid’s project to build a replacement hospital on a new campus,” said MacDowell. ROSE will be among the first of Reid services to operate in the Outpatient Care Center.
By Aug. 1 almost all Reid Hospital outpatient services from Reid’s traditional campus at 1401 Chester Boulevard will be giving care and administering tests at the New Reid’s OCC.
Several physician offices have already moved into the Medical Office Building, which is connected by enclosed walkways to the OCC.
Other services to be offered in the OCC include:
- Most lab tests
- Most radiology tests
- Same-day intravenous infusions or blood administration
- Radiation Oncology
- Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
- Cardiac catheterization
- Cardiac testing
- Diabetes and Nutrition Education
Joseph Smith, M.D., a physician partner and the outpatient medical director of ROSE, said the new joint venture results in a quality facility. “It has the newest technology available, which makes it more cost effective,” Dr. Smith said. He said the opportunity for physicians to practice in the medical office building and be connected to the OCC and eventually the hospital offers a major convenience to both doctors and patients.
“This is a true partnership between physicians, the hospital and allied health professionals,” Dr. Smith said.
William Ducey, M.D., the ROSE inpatient medical director, said the new arrangement will benefit outpatients by making delays in scheduled surgeries less likely. Instead of having outpatient and inpatient surgeries at the same location, as is the case now, the two will separate with the opening of ROSE.
“This way, elective outpatient surgeries are no longer at the mercy of emergencies that could cause delays in getting into operating rooms,” Dr. Ducey said.
Kay Cartwright, vice president and chief nursing officer, noted opening a new surgery center and hospital requires many months of preparation: “Moving into a new health care facility isn’t as easy as moving into a house. We have to assure that everything is in place to meet any emergency.”
She said consultants and movers who specialize in opening new hospitals have helped make sure everything is ready and meets the strictest standards of care.
The process even includes the collection of cultures from the completely new surgery space to make sure it is sterile. Each piece of equipment is tested and then retested at the time of opening to make sure it’s working properly in the new space.
“Our staff also has received extensive education to learn any new equipment they might be using and they practice potential patient scenarios to assure everyone knows the necessary procedures to follow,” Cartwright said. “This has been a major undertaking, and our physician partners have been instrumental in planning this entire operation. We believe we will offer patients the latest state-of-the-art facility for outpatient surgical care.”
The New Reid project will culminate next year with the move of the hospital – including inpatients, the emergency department and other areas – projected for June 2008.
That means Reid will operate for several months at both its traditional and its New Reid campuses, and the Reid leadership recognizes the separation could create some confusion until the final move of the hospital in 2008.
“Generally speaking, all outpatient procedures, tests and surgeries will be conducted at 1100 Reid Parkway after Aug. 1,” MacDowell said. “But there are exceptions, though only a small percentage of patients would be affected. We are encouraging everyone to ‘know before you go’ for any outpatient tests or procedures.”
If a patient or referring physician isn’t sure where the prescribed test or procedure is administered, Reid Central Scheduling, (765) 983-3358, should be consulted.
Photo Caption
Old Glory, new setting
On July 13, 2007, members of the security department at Reid Hospital & Health Care Services raise the flag over the New Reid Outpatient Care Center. The brief morning ceremony marked the first time the new building at 1100 Reid Parkway would open as part of Reid Hospital rather than as a construction site. Public open houses are scheduled Saturday July 21 from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday July 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. From left are Jim Fields, Mike Emmenegger and Randy Kolentus, department director.
