(Photo by Shelby Herbert/KFSK)
Petersburg Medical Center is closing in on the details of exactly what its new hospital will look like. The latest report shows the main building covering about 60,000 square feet. Hospital board members will review details on the project at a meeting this evening.
The hospital replacement project’s finances are back on track, after a brief accounting issue stalled progress at the site of one of its new hospital buildings in December. A budget review of the new building produced a cost estimate that was higher than what hospital administrators had planned for. They paused site preparation until they could adjust the budget — but now that Petersburg Medical Center has balanced the books, construction has resumed on the Wellness, Education & Resource Center, or, WERC Building, which is an outbuilding separate from what will be the main hospital building.
Hospital administration has completely cinched a $20 million Department of Treasury grant that funds the WERC Building. In total, PMC has banked about $29 million in grant funding for the new facility, but the project still needs about $70 million. $37 million of that would build the shell and core of the main hospital building, and the remaining $30 million would furnish the inside.
At its meeting in early January, Petersburg’s Borough Assembly voted to keep the new hospital in its top spot on a priority list of capital project requests. It also remains number one on the Borough’s priority list for federal funding.
The first three phases of construction on the WERC building are fully funded, and contractors have broken ground on the site of the project. They’ll start construction this May.
The layout of the main hospital building isn’t complete, but Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter’s most recent report says it will have room for twelve acute care beds and 16 long-term care beds. For reference, Petersburg’s current hospital facility has the same number of acute care beds, but one fewer long-term care bed.
At tonight’s meeting, the board will also hear a report from the Kinder Skog Advisory Committee. At its quarterly meeting this month, the committee talked about ways to address its long waitlist for spots in the program, as well as enrollment in its upcoming summer camp programs. The committee is looking into getting the program accredited with the American Camps Association.
The medical center’s Workforce Wellness Department plans to report on the challenges of finding a replacement physician for Dr. Jennifer Hyer. Hyer left Petersburg last fall to work on a fellowship for a year and a half while sailing the world with her family. The department says her vacancy has made it hard for staff to cover the ER call schedule. They’re able to meet the need, for now — but the department is concerned about burnout in the long term.
Looking ahead, PMC is hosting an open house to share the latest project designs with the community. The event is set for Wednesday, January 31st from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Borough Assembly Chambers.
A group of Borough officials and hospital administrators will meet with Senator Bert Stedman on February 6th to ask for more legislative support for the new hospital. At Tuesday’s Borough Assembly Meeting, Assembly Members voted to send Mayor Mark Jensen and Assembly Member Bob Lynn to accompany the group to this meeting.
Petersburg’s hospital Board will meet this evening at 5:30 p.m. in the municipal building. KFSK will broadcast that meeting live and post the recording in our Hospital Board Archives. There’s more information on KFSK’s community calendar.
