New surgical services floor set to open at Missouri Delta Medical Center

While Dickie Chance, director of med surgery nursing, talks about the new equipment featured in the private rooms on Missouri Delta Medical Center's new surgical services floor, Sharon Urhahn, director of marketing for MDMC, tests out some of the buttons. Also pictured are Stacy Speer, registered nurse, and Debbie McCurter, ward clerk. The floor officially opens to patients on Wednesday. (Photo by Jill Bock, Staff)

SIKESTON - When the new Surgical Services floor at Missouri Delta Medical Center opens Wednesday, it will mark a change in the way services are offered to patients. It will also mark the completion of the first of three phases to change the way services are offered throughout the hospital.

Friday, the staff and the public got their first peek at the new outpatient and inpatient surgical services area located on MDMC's third floor. The multi-million dollar renovation, featuring all private rooms, puts together an area designed to provide complete services to individuals in the hospital for surgeries.

Along one side of the third floor are 17 private rooms for patients requiring overnight stays. The other side of the third floor is designed for outpatient surgical procedures; it includes 17 outpatient rooms and three procedure rooms.

Sharon Urhahn, director of marketing for MDMC, explained the improvements not only provide private hospital rooms but also more privacy with such amenities as an elevator taking patients directly to the surgical area of the hospital rather than rolling the patient through hallways as in the past.

Also, it will be more efficient, she said. The surgical services area has all the rooms and equipment for required tests prior to surgery. These include everything from rooms for lab work to X-ray.

Dickie Chance, director of med surgery nursing, explained all surgery patients will come in two days prior to their procedures for their lab work. Having it done on the Surgical Services floor will provide several benefits, he said.

"First, they will know exactly where they will be going the day they are going to have their procedures," Chance said. "It will also be more efficient because with the lab work out of the way, they won't have to worry about any abnormal results which might delay their surgery. With the advanced lab work we can ensure their surgery goes as planned."

Visitors on Friday could begin their tour in the large waiting area, featuring comfortable seating in small groups, a television and even sculpture on the walls.

The newly renovated floor includes a central nurses station which will enable nurses to respond to both inpatient and outpatient needs. Also there is private room set aside where doctors can consult with families.

In each of the inpatient rooms there is a computer where staff can update the patient's status. The computers will provide medical staff with the ability to access their patient's information from anywhere in the hospital as well as from their offices.

Not only is the area all new, but so is the equipment.

"We are very proud of this," said Chance.

With the completion of the surgical services area, work begins on the second floor of the hospital to create 18 private rooms. The third and final phase will bring improvements to the first floor including more private rooms.

Eventually MDMC will boast 53 private rooms, Urhahn said. She explained the move to private rooms is part of MDMC's effort to meet federal regulations regarding patient privacy.

The work on the first phase took over a year to complete and the hospital administration has allotted about the same amount for the remaining phases, Chance said. "We are hoping to be completely finished by December 2010," he said.

Greg Colwick toured the area Friday with his daughter, Sarah, who is currently working on her surgical residency. He said he was impressed by what he saw.

"I think this is a fantastic facility. Everything is first class. It is one of the nicest surgery centers I've seen between St. Louis and Memphis."