Clarke County Hospital is renovating the north side of the hospital facility to house the new Materials Management Department. Construction will be completed February.
The materials management department is responsible for all supplies and medical inventory throughout the hospital. By moving the department from its current location on the basement floor to the main floor, many challenges will be resolved.
“We will be closer to the medical departments once we move to the main floor, so we will be able to distribute the supplies efficiently,” said Deb Mathes, materials manager at Clarke County Hospital. “Moving our receiving area to the north end of the building will also allow supply trucks easier access to our loading dock, improving the flow of street traffic.”
Other facility improvements include a new emergency generator, new water piping in the kitchen area and new air handler for heating and cooling on the north side of the facility.
“Just like our medical equipment, we keep our facility equipment up to date in order to provide patients best care possible,” said Brian Evans, chief-executive officer of Clarke County Hospital. “The new emergency generator, for example, will produce nearly three times as much power in the case of an outage. In disasters, we will be the place of refuge for anyone needing emergency medical assistance.”
These renovations at Clarke County Hospital are the start of a five-year facility expansion. Funding for the $24 million project will come from hospital savings, hospital revenue bonds, general-obligation bonds and other identified sources. The financial forecasting of debt repayment does not include tax increases.
“We are dedicated to the people of Clarke County and therefore feel that it is important to keep our commitment of not asking the Clarke County tax payers for additional tax dollars,” Evans said.
Clarke County Hospital has reduced its ask for county taxes the past nine consecutive years. Savings to Clarke County taxpayers equal over $1.7 million to date.
About Clarke County Hospital
Clarke County Hospital is a 25-bed, critical access hospital with advanced diagnostic and telemedicine technology.
Through telemedicine and visiting physicians, patients can receive specialized care close to home, including cardiology; nephrology; neurology; oncology; hepatology; general and vascular surgery; orthopedics; dermatology; pulmonology; gastroenterology; urology; and ear, nose and throat (ENT) services.
Clarke County Hospital emergency department houses two state-of-the-art ambulances and a staff of 20 certified personnel who are readily available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The hospital campus also includes a physical therapy clinic and UnityPoint Clinic – Family Medicine at Clarke County. Since its foundation in 1953, Clarke County Hospital has been a healthcare cornerstone of the south central Iowa community.