Frio Regional Hospital

Description

Leading the Way in New Hospital Design For Texas SingleProvider Communities

For many rural hospitals deteriorating facilities and outofdate technology are increasingly common Replacing rural hospitals is more and more difficult because of lack of capital and regulatory agencies are continually increasing design requirements said Alan Holmes CEO Frio Regional Hospital However modernization is necessary for rural hospitals to continue providing high levels of care to their patients

Frio Regional Hospital faced such a dilemma recently with the old Frio Hospital in Pearsall Texas Faced with the option to move forward progressively or slowly fade away Said Holmes we chose to move forward with a new facility The new hospital a 42000 SF freestanding facility includes 22 acute care beds with outpatient surgical obstetric and emergency services

Flexibility is a key component in the design One centralized nurse station services all acute care beds and LaborDelivery Rooms with visual observation of the Nursery Other important features include all private rooms and the centralized nurse stations close proximity to the ER

The site of the new facility provides a tremendous advantage Prior to planned development the hospital had purchased 112 acres with one mile of frontage on IH35 South access road An EDA grant of 1 million was obtained to finance infrastruction for the hospital future clinics and other business park entities The 8 million facility was financed with 5 million cash and a 3 million taxexempt bank loan The master site plan incorporates future growth to support the continuum of care through medical office buildings and long term care facilities Today two medical office buildings sit near the new hospital and roads around the site are in place for future expansion The sites proximity to a major interstate also provides excellent visibility and accessibility for the facility

Administration and staff at Frio Regional hospital are now prepared for the growth that the new facility will attract The function layout of the hospital facilitates future expansion of all major departments while maintaining an efficient circulation for patients and staff

After one year the hospital experienced a 10 volume increase And while the new hospital is three times the size of the old facility the innovative design and effective relationship of services has allowed the administration to maintain their staffing levels at 39 full time employees per adjusted occupied bed According to Mr Holmes there was some pressure to make the facility bigger during the planning stages of the project but we maintained a conservative position The conservative size of the hospital combined with the efficientpatient ratio supports Frio Regional Hospitals operational and financial goals

The board of Frio Regional Hospital chose OConnell Robertson and Associates Inc as architects OConnell Robertson provided architecture engineering and interior design services as well as construction administration

Project Control of Texas of San Antonio provided construction management services Project Control involved Mitchell Construction Company as well as the electrical and mechanical subcontractor in the planning stages which resulted in cost reduction of roughly 11

Project Control was hired for a flat fee of 146000 to represent the owner All other parties architects hospital staff physicians contractors have incentives to increase the scope and cost of the project PCT provided technical assistance in negotiations with all contractors and planning from the beginning resulting in savings far in excess of their fee A list of all expenses associated with this project is available on request