By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Voters in Trego County Tuesday passed an $11.8 million bond to make improvements to Trego County-Lemke Memorial Hospital.
COVID, as well as an aging population, have exposed needs to expand and upgrade the facilities at the 25-bed critical access hospital in WaKeeney.
Critical areas of the hospital were not private, which made it difficult during COVID, said Tina Sells, director of nursing.
All of the hospital's inpatient rooms were based on double occupancy. The hospital couldn't utilize all of its capacity during COVID because of danger of virus transmission.
As was the case across the health care system, the hospital saw an increase in demand during the pandemic, Sells said. Normally many Trego County-Lemke patients would be transferred to larger hospitals, but those hospitals were not accepting patients because they were full.
Trego County-Lemke saw an increase in its inpatient census as a result, Sells said.
The bond issue will include 17 private inpatient rooms with private bathrooms, individual room climate controls and zero-entry showers. The inpatient wing will also include two bariatric rooms and two negative air-flow rooms, which are used to control infectious disease.
The hospital's current emergency room has two beds, which are separated by a curtain, Sells said.
This has been problematic during COVID in terms of controlling infection and also does not afford patients much privacy.
The bond will include two trauma rooms, two treatment rooms and an enclosed ambulance drop off. The improvements will include a separate ER entrance and waiting area. It will be designed to share staff with inpatient services.
Renovation will include a dedicated space for an outpatient specialty clinic. Sells said she was unsure what specialists the hospital will be able to attract. However, the hospital will be seeking doctors in such areas as pain management, minor surgery, cardiology, neurology and mental health.
This would allow some patients in the hospital's service area to stay in WaKeeney for treatment.
As with many rural communities in Kansas, Trego County and the surrounding area has an aging population. The bond work includes the addition of four assisted living rooms with a new dining area and public restroom. Sells said this service is greatly needed in the area.
The hospital also sees many older patients who require rehabilitation after knee or hip surgeries. The bond includes an expanded physical and occupational therapy suite. This will include three private treatment rooms. The space now is an open format divided by curtains.
It also will include a small 12-by-16-foot hydrotherapy pool and four new treatment tables.
Other improvements will include remodeled clinic space for the hospital's new doctor, a private area for Senior Life Solutions, expanded lab to provide more private space for patients and new emergency room signage.
The community took advantage of historically low interest rates — about 2.5 percent — to save money on financing the improvements. The bond term is 25 years. It will cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $3.35 per month.
Hospital officials hope to break ground toward the end of 2022. However, Sells said a projected completion date has yet to be set.
She said no hospital operations will be closed during the renovations.
Hospital officials said they would like to thank the community for their support of the bond and look forward to what they can offer with the new facilities.