The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON—Phasing documents for the hospital renovation and enhancement project have been uploaded to the CCHS website at build.cchd-wa.org., according to CEO Shane McGuire.

In his report to the hospital board commissioners on Feb. 24, McGuire highlighted some of the details in each of the four phases of the project. He told the commissioners that construction of the new physical therapy and rehabilitation services department, the new main entrance, and early work on the public access corridor will take place during Phase I of the project.

During Phase II, the dining room will be moved to the existing physical therapy gym so that work can be finished on the public access corridor. Work will also be done on the new imaging department, McGuire said.

Phase III will see construction of the laboratory department, the business office, the admitting office, and the outpatient entrance, he said.

Modifications will also be made to the emergency department during Phase III of construction, McGuire said.

The new emergency department entrance, and the central core, near acute services, will be completed during Phase IV of construction, he said.

To date, a hazardous materials survey has been done, electrical and mechanical engineers have been on site for surveys and documentation, and civil engineers have been on site preparing documentation for site work around the new therapy pool, and the outpatient entrance, according to him.

McGuire has also received a first draft time line for the project that will be reviewed with OAC, the project management services company, in the near future. He said the project should be complete sixteen months from the time construction begins.

“It’s going to move by weeks,” he said. “Of course it will depend on the Department of Health, because they get to put their stamp of approval on it.”

Laundry services to be outsourced

At McGuire’s behest the commissioners approved a plan to outsource laundry services in the hospital.

McGuire said space requirements, plus the cost of building a new laundry facility, are the reasons behind outsourcing laundry services.

McGuire emphasized that no employees would be laid off.

“We still have to collect, store, and move (laundry),” he said. “It requires lots of man-hours.”

Blue Ribbon Linen Supply, Inc., of Lewiston, Ida., was selected from a field of three vendors to provide laundry service. The company will also provide linens, at a cost of .50/pound, and make deliveries two days each week, McGuire said.

Outreach to improve in-patient census

McGuire also told the commissioners about his efforts to get patients in other facilities back into beds at DGH.

He said he has been in talks with Walla Walla General Hospital about discharging patients from that facility to Dayton General Hospital for acute and swing bed care, and for observation.

“We want our patients back,” said McGuire.

“Our mixed average daily census was four for February, and 2.7 for January,” he said.

“We had six patient calls from Walla Walla General Hospital, and admitted four, after our visit with them,” he said.

McGuire said he plans to make the same presentation to representatives in the Social Services Department at Providence St. Mary’s Hospital in Walla Walla on March 15.

McGuire said that last year’s average daily in-patient census was 2.4 and that the average daily census in 2016 is up to 3.35.