Anderson County Hospital Gets Ready to Open
GARNETT, Kan. — Anderson County Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Garnett, is set to open its doors on Jan. 29.
The hospital will offer health care services, including primary care, emergency care, laboratory services, imaging services, and inpatient and outpatient surgery. Patients will also have access to a specialty clinic in addition to their primary care physician. The new facility, a member of Saint Luke’s Health System based in Kansas City, Mo., will have close to 70,000 square feet of space. The new hospital is a replacement for the former Anderson County Hospital, built in 1949.
New York City-based Turner Construction is overseeing construction completion for the new facility, and Hoefer Wysocki Architecture of Leawood, Kan., provided design and architectural services.
The new facility is touting several contemporary features and services, including an updated emergency department, sophisticated health care technology, and an outpatient specialty clinic staffed by experienced doctors and nurses. The hospital is also establishing a long-term care unit — The Anderson County Hospital Residential Living Center (RLC). The unit will provide nursing care services in a home-like environment with a garden area, family room, activity center and dining room. The RLC will care for long-term residents or transitional residents who have suffered a recent injury, illness or need a post-hospital stay to ensure full recovery.
The hospital’s new emergency department will provide equipment and care that meet the national standards for Level IV trauma status. The department will have an advanced airflow system to ensure a sterile environment, as well as a decontamination room for immediate isolation of patients who have been exposed to hazardous materials or biological agents.
“Anderson County Hospital is able to treat more patients at our facility with the Level IV trauma center because our team has the specialized training for trauma patients and we have a comprehensive scope of services available on-site,” said Timothy Spears, the hospital’s medical director, in a statement. “We work closely with the specialty physicians who see patients at our facility and the patient’s primary care physician to ensure they recover right here in the community. Our goal is always to treat patients in our facility, however; we have on-site ambulance service and a helipad located just outside the emergency department to provide patients with immediate access to a higher level of care when needed.”
The hospital will also be using an advanced, interconnected technology system throughout. Whiteboard technology will allow registration staff to electronically notify departments when their patients arrive and will track how long they’ve been waiting. Other technological elements include a new centralized telemetry system for patients requiring heart monitoring. The system monitors heart rate and rhythm, collecting real-time data for nurses to keep the physician informed of the patient’s progress. Inside the new RLC will be a quieter environment with the installation of a new wireless call light system. The radiology department will have a new CT scanner to provide faster scanning, and computed tomography angiography (CTA) technology will allow images of arteries and vessels to be captured for an angiography with 3D reconstruction.
Just inside the hospital entrance will be a specialty clinic, featuring 17 areas of health care, 12 exam rooms and two procedure rooms. Telecommunication within that clinic will allow for out-of-town physicians to provide face-to-face care without being on site.
“We want to be sure the community knows that these specialists will be available each month at the Anderson County Hospital Specialty Clinic,” said Dr. Meggan Newland, a Saint Luke’s dermatologist, in a statement. “Bringing Saint Luke’s world-class level of care here to Garnett on a regular basis is an invaluable benefit to our patients and to those in need of specialty care.”