St. Bernards’ $130 million expansion project.
A few construction-related inconveniences were more than worth it for the physicians and staff at the new Heartcare Center at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro.
The $12 million, three-story facility — representing Phase II of a $137.5 million master plan — opened May 24 and features expansions to all three floors. Two new deluxe labs, expanded and renovated patient and family-focused care areas and a new hybrid surgical lab were part of the project, which proceeded without any interruptions to St. Bernards’ heart care services.
When announced, the project was expected to be completed in early winter, but the needs of the patients and physicians had something to say about that.
“We had to do a lot of weekend and night work, which created some delays [in construction],” said Kevin Hodges, St. Bernards vice president of affiliated, MIS and senior services. “And so if we had emergency procedures over the weekend we would have to delay. … So we got a little behind but all in all we kept going full speed with all of our existing cath labs.”
Dr. Devi Nair, St. Bernards director of cardiac electrophysiology, said the inconveniences were minimized because project leaders consulted with physicians from the beginning to assess and work around their needs..
“We did not shut down a single day. … We had to take different routes to come to the lab but we had pretty solid plans,” she said.
The hybrid surgical lab allows cardiologists and surgeons to work together, and Nair said if an open-heart procedure is required it can be performed there, rather than requiring a patient to be moved.
Electrophysiology facilities were also expanded.
“Safety of my patients is a priority. It’s kind of like a dream come true,” Nair said. “For me, at this point, I cannot ask for anything technologically.”
Nair detailed a number of capabilities and procedures the expansion either makes possible or more efficient, from three-dimensional mapping to pacemaker laser lead extraction. And when patients are in recovery, she said, they are in a spacious, comfortable room with physicians a short, safe distance away.
“Patients feel extremely satisfied and extremely safe being there knowing we’re keeping an eye on them one on one while they’re recovering before they go home,” Nair said.
The first floor of the Heartcare Center is used for non-invasive cardiac procedures, the second is for invasive services and includes six cath labs and EP labs, and the third floor is the 30-unit patient preparation and recovery area.
“With the expansion of the Heartcare Center it has definitely made it easier to take care of our expanding volume of patients,” Nair said, “and not just take care of them but take care of them in a very safe and efficient manner.”
Phase I of the project included completion of the hospital’s cancer center.
Phase III of the master plan is completing construction of the 250,000-SF surgical/intensive care services tower, which will put total square footage of the campus over 1 million, Hodges said. The tower will consolidate the ICU units while expanding the number to 45, feature 14 surgical suites and ancillary services including a gastrointestinal facility.
Hodges estimated Phase III completion would be sometime in late summer of 2019. He said Phase IV work would also begin sometime next year and will include renovation of the cafeteria area and common spaces and some patient care areas.
With Jonesboro enjoying a downtown revival and major new construction elsewhere — like the Red Wolf Convention Center in the Arkansas State campus — Hodges said it was satisfying to see a mainstay like St. Bernards, providing care since 1901, adding to the growth.
“We’re pleased to be part of that,” he said. “We’re pleased that we can be an economic driver for this area and I would say that we have lots of partners in the community. We work well with the local government — city, county government— trying to meet those needs.”
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