Wednesday, December 3, 2008


The new heliport is now in place on the northeast corner of the hospital, and concrete has been poured for the four-level 110,000 square foot addition to Douglas County Hospital.

Another 40 parking spots have been opened on the east side of the hospital. In mid-January, the construction and re-location of the main entrance to the hospital will begin. Effective February 1, and throughout the construction project, the main entrance to the hospital will be through the Emergency Department. Exterior signs will be posted for further direction.

The hospital broke ground for the new addition on August 22, 2008. The ground floor of this addition will be clinic space leased to Alexandria Orthopaedic Associates, P.A.; which will feature 18 exam rooms, office space, cast room, procedure rooms and rehabilitation. The second floor includes 34 new private inpatient rooms, which will allow the hospital to convert all patient rooms to private rooms. The third floor will be similar to the second floor with a centralized nursery and nurse's station surrounded by five labor and delivery rooms, a cesarean-section operating room, 15 post-partum recovery rooms and 11 additional patient rooms. This project also includes an additional 120 new parking spaces, and a new lobby and main hospital entrance.

Total cost of the project will be approximately 31 million. The project will be financed with 26.2 million in tax-exempt revenue bonds and 4.8 million in hospital cash reserves. Douglas County Hospital receives no local or county tax subsidy.

This new addition to the hospital is slated to be completed by March, 2010.