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HMHP to Invest $10 Million for Surgical Suites
By George NelsonYOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The $10 million expansion of the surgical suites at St. Elizabeth Health Center is "as important, if not more important," than the recent announcement of a new inpatient facility in Boardman, the head of Humility of Mary Health Partners said Thursday,"St. E's will continue to be the flagship institution, our cornerstone," said Bob Shroder, HMHP president and chief executive officer. "We will continue to reinvest in this campus so it will remain the preferred institution in the area."At a news conference Thursday, HMHP officials detailed plans for the expansion and renovation of the surgical suites at the Youngstown hospital. Phase one of the four-phase expansion project, which is under way, includes construction and renovation of one operating suite and storage areas. Phase two, due to be completed by spring 2005, includes the inside renovation of the top floors of the new south building--The Heart Lab at St. Elizabeth's -- and portions of the west wing. Phases three and four will include the renovations of the remaining areas. The entire project will add 10,000 square feet of space to the existing surgical area. It is slated to be complete by early 2006. "These operating rooms will bring 1950s operating rooms up to today's expectations. They will be bigger, brighter, high-tech, physician- and patient-friendly," he said. Many of the surgeries that will be able to be done at St. E's will not be able to be done at is affiliate, St. Joseph Health Center in Warren, or the new Boardman facility. The current operating rooms "certainly have served us well, but they are in need of renovation," said Jim Davis, HMHP vice president and SECH chief operating officer. He noted the current rooms range from 350 to 375 square feet. When the project is completed, the hospital will have operating rooms with more than 600 square feet of space.Shroder and other officials noted that the operating rooms haven't been updated since they were first built in the 1950s. The larger operating rooms will incorporate the latest technology as well as allow for future integration of new technology as it becomes available. "More technology will be built into the rooms, either underneath the floors or into the walls so you will have more space to turn around," he said , with equipment also suspended from the ceiling. "They're just going to be bigger, brighter, friendlier," he remarked. "There's a lot of neat things going on.."In his remarks, Len Schiavone, vice chairman of the HMHP board of trustees, alluded to the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Order of the Sisters of Humility of Mary, noting the order came to the Mahoning Valley 140 years ago with their mission to provide health care to the poor and underserved in particular. "We on the board take that mission very seriously, otherwise we wouldn't be here," he said. Thursday's announcement "continues that mission not only today, but this continues that mission in the valley into the future."Gene Potesta, M.D., SECH medical staff president, noted that the demands of health care in general -- and on entities pledged to missions such as St. E's in particular -- "are staggering nowadays. ... However, I believe that sometimes the stars are all aligned in a particular fashion to allow great things done in the face of great challenges. In fact, sometimes those challenges sometimes spur on greatness and I think this is that time."Pat Stedman of Surgical Services noted that the expansion has been awaited for a long time by staff. "For those of you who've said I've got to see it to believe it, believe it. It's finally, finally here," she said. "We are going to have the finest, most state of the art ... operating rooms in the state of Ohio, and they'll be the newest rooms in northeast Ohio."The project is being funded internally, with assistance from HMHP's corporate parent, Catholic Health Partners of Cincinnati. The project also received a $400,000 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services through the efforts of U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich. Visit Humility of Mary Health Partners at www.hmpartners.orgContact George Nelson at [email protected]"