Construction is now underway on a major Bed Tower Renovation project at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin. The 4th, 5th and 6th floors are being remodeled to create a more comfortable environment for our patients and medical staff. The Bed Tower Renovation project is the first phase of an eight-year, $60 million Master Facility Plan.
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Nurses Desk |
J.E. Dunn Construction, based in Kansas City, MO is the general contractor for the project. A “Mock-Up” patient room is already complete and ready to be shown.
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Waiting Area |
Plans for the update include the following:
- Decentralization of the nurses’ station for point of care and paperless medical records.
- Renovation/standardization of all core areas.
- Upgrade of finishes (flooring, paint, etc.)
- Accessibility of bathrooms
- Mechanical/electrical upgrades
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Hallway |
The cost of the bed tower renovation project is $4.9 million. Funding will come from operations (money earned from services provided that St. John's reinvests in its facilities.) Money will not have to be borrowed from outside sources to pay for the project.
Gary Rowe, president and CEO of St. John's says the time has come to update and remodel, but there is more to the renovation than just a needed makeover. He says, "it's been some time since the structure was built. As we look at where we are today and where we are going, it became apparent that we needed a different structure, a different configuration for our nursing stations." This new arrangement will also accommodate the goal to become a wireless facility in terms of patient-care records and information. St. John's new ACIS computer system will be better accessible with computers set up in hallways and patient rooms.
The areas under construction on each floor are being isolated by walls to prevent any disruptions to service for patients. The temporary walls allow crews to contain dust and noise and maintain the highest level of safety for the patients. Blocks of 18 rooms are being renovated during each phase of the project. The current phase is expected to be completed June 1, 2006.
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