Perkins County Health Services, in southwestern Nebraska, has opened an expanded medical care facility that Chief Medical Officer Dr. J. Matthew Bird called "historic."
The $15 million project was funded by a $10.1 million Community Facility Direct Loan from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development, $4 million in loans from two local vendors, and $1.3 million from PCHS funds.
The expansion includes the construction of almost 29,000 new square feet, as well as 20,000 renovated square feet, with 20 private patient rooms including individual bathrooms and showers. The rooms also have areas for families, allowing them to stay with their loved ones in a more comfortable fashion. Also included are two isolation rooms, one with a bariatric lift system, as well as two new labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms, equipped with whirlpool tubs for recovery and hide-a-bed sofas for overnight visitors.
Patients, said Bird, can expect "the same compassionate and state-of-the-art healthcare we expect for ourselves and our families."
In addition to the new rooms, the heating and cooling systems have been upgraded, allowing patients to control their room temperatures. The new emergency department features two new bays designed to provide quick access to diagnostic services.
Tonia Franklin, director of marketing and community relations, said the community has been extraordinarily patient during the process, claiming the new facility "assures quality healthcare for generations to come."
The hospital is the largest employer in Perkins County, with almost 200 employees on the books, representing about $9 million in salaries and benefits. The completed expansion represents the first phase of a multi-phase process; the next will involve an intensive renovation of the existing facility, which has operated in the community for 65 years.
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Data from the National Center for Rural Health Works suggests a significant economic impact from a critical access hospital the size of PCHS. A typical one, according to the numbers, boasts an average of 141 employees, generating $6.8 million in wages, salaries and benefits, with an annual construction investment of $4.2 million. It also generates a total annual impact of 248 jobs and $10.3 million in wages, salaries and benefits from both operations and construction. Retail sales from such facilities average about $2.5 million.
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