to recruit more practitioners. We are now staffed with a combined 13 nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and MDs.” The hospital has expanded its clinical capabilities through targeted recruitment. Today, patients have access to a general surgeon, respiratory therapy services including cardiac pulmonary rehabilitation, a rheumatologist, and a rotating group of four cardiologists, along with specialty services such as podiatry, audiology, and optometry. “Expanding mental health care is very prevalent in rural areas,” Rodriguez adds.“This year, we recruited a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, as well as a full-time mental health counselor.” PATIENT FOCUSED FACILITIES These expanded services have highlighted the infrastructure limitations of a hospital that was built in 1980, and investments are being made to bring the building up to modern standards. “In 2022, we created a big master plan, and in 2023, we finally broke ground,” Rodriguez recounts. “It took obtaining a grant for $3 million from the FMH Foundation. We also received a grant of a million dollars from the USDA. And the remaining dollars for that project came from the county. They are in the final phase of this project and hope to be completed by July 2026.” One area of focus is ensuring that the facility meets ADA requirements. Shayla Davis, Med/ Surg and Infection Control Manager, expands, “Before, due to the age of the original building, we had patients that were sharing restrooms, and some of those restrooms were so small you couldn’t get in there with walkers or a wheelchair.” The renovation was designed to create an easier patient experience, with larger rooms and individual bathrooms that are large enough to accommodate mobility equipment. Safety is also key, and Rodriguez points out that the redesign was influenced by lessons learned during COVID. “We were not prepared for a pandemic,” she acknowledges. “Now, 13 patient rooms of our renovation are equipped to convert to isolation rooms. In addition to a dedicated, larger isolation 57 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 13, ISSUE 02 WARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx