Tours beginning in the two-story atrium were conducted throughout the day by hospital staff.

Southside Regional Medical Center (SRMC) celebrated their new facility last Saturday with a community celebration.  Located directly off of Wagner Rd. at the I-95 interchange, the hospital is scheduled to open July 27. Thousands turned out for the all-day event, mostly to take the tour for a sneak peek of the new hospital, but also to enjoy many family activities such as clowns, face painting, a petting zoo, train and buggy rides, health screenings, hot dogs, refreshments, and more.  Many former employees also turned out for the celebration and were very happy and excited for the hospital to have the new facility.

When Community Health Systems (CHS) won the bid for the purchase of SRMC from the City of Petersburg in 2003, the promise, according to David J. Fikse, SRMC’s chief executive officer, was to build a facility that is equipped with the latest in technology, one that was built efficiently and responsibly, one that is readily accessible within minutes off the expressway, and a facility that is aesthetically and architecturally pleasing with lots of glass, open spaces, and much lower safety concerns.

Fikse points out that even with the adjustments, there have been very few change orders with the $140-million-dollar project.

The new hospital has three entrances.  The main two-story atrium entrance of the five-story facility is accessible from a new road that connects from Wagner Rd. and leads directly to the front doors. All guest services are on the right side of the building, with all support services on the left.  Registration connects openly to the outpatient entrance as well.  A mezzanine, located on the second floor overlooking the entrance, is an area for guests waiting for family members undergoing out-patient surgery.  The emergency room is located on the west side of the building, which is within minutes of the trauma and cardiac units.  The cafeteria, which serves both guests and staff, opens to a courtyard with classroom space located on the opposing side of the courtyard.

The new hospital has 300 beds, but is licensed for 408, and the hospital will be able to expand as needed.

Aside from being just a new facility, it’s the guts of the plant that brings SRMC to the twenty-first century.  Pneumatic tube systems have been placed throughout the facility, which allows the laboratory results to reach their destination from the main lab on the first floor. High-definition digital imaging, located throughout the eight oversized surgery rooms, trauma, and cardiac departments will send images directly to the doctor’s offices.  CDs may also be retrieved by patients who may request a second opinion.

Each floor is mirrored with 14 beds in each unit, with a nurse’s station in the center.  The 13 nurse’s stations in the hospital are shared by all.

Southside Regional Medical Center is the region’s largest employer with 1,400 employees and an annual payroll of $67 million.  The existing facility averages 163,000 outpatients annually and 12,000 inpatient admissions.  Designated as a Trauma III Level hospital (MCV is a Level I; there are no Level IIs), SRMC had over 45,000 emergency room and trauma patient visits last year.

The new hospital is a 420,000-square-foot hospital, with a campus of 45 acres. This is the hospital’s fourth facility. As Petersburg General Hospital, they moved to their present location on South Adams St. in 1952, and changed the name to Southside Regional Medical Center in 1986 in order to reflect more of the area.

The hospital’s cancer center will remain on South Adams St., but will most likely relocate to the new campus in five years.  The hospital’s business office will be housed in a separate location across the street from the new campus.

lfausz@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421

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