Mar 4, 2014 2 min read

Southwest Regional Medical Center hosted an open house Feb. 28 to showcase the improvements made through the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program matching grant.

The total cost of the improvements was $1 million with $500,000 coming from the RACP program and the remaining $500,000 provided by Southwest Regional Medical Center.

More than 100 individuals toured the facility’s new all private rooms. Each room on the third floor, including the medical surgical and intermediate care unit, was updated with fresh paint, new flooring, wireless Internet access and new Isogel air support mattresses. Although every patient now has their own room, they are not charged more for this level of care.

The hospital’s emergency department was also updated. The department, which is staffed by board certified physicians, received new paint, wider doorways and other changes, which will enhance the flow for the entire department.

The emergency department has grown from serving approximately 12,000 patients in 2005 to approximately 24,000 today.

Other featured areas included:

• Cardiology services – The staff discussed a new venous ablation procedure and pacemaker insertion services.

• Surgical services – Patients coming in for surgery now receive their own private post-surgical recovery suite for their family to enjoy during surgery, complete with their own television. Patients are then brought to this area after surgery where the surgeon can discuss the procedure with the patient and family.

• Hospitalist services – Dr. Jami Boris was on hand to answer questions about her role as a hospitalist.