HOSPITAL PLANS $30 MILLION EXPANSION; SOUTHEAST WORK WILL TAKE 5 YEARS

Construction of a 105,000-square-foot clinical services building will be the major component of a $30 million expansion project announced Saturday by Southeast Missouri Hospital.

The three-phase project will be carried out over the next five years. The first phase will include construction of a mechanical building, electrical substation, water-reserve system, and a pedestrian crosswalk to link existing parking structures to the main facility. The second phase is the clinical services building that will increase by more than 40 percent the 250,000 square feet of space the hospital has under roof presently. The third phase involves renovation of existing space that will be vacated in the move to the new building.

James W. Wente, administrator of Southeast Hospital, said the hospital has filed a letter of intent with the Missouri Certificate of Need Program and hopes to file its complete application within three weeks. Wente said he hopes to receive approval from the state in October to proceed with the project.

"This is a major, major development for our region," said Wente.

He explained that the hospital owns all property it will need for the expansion and it is properly zoned. Financing is also in place through funds generated by the recent sale of hospital revenue bonds at an interest cost of about 6.8 percent. In addition, the administrator said hospital operating funds and accumulated savings are being utilized in the financing plan.

Southeast Hospital is close to finishing a 178-car parking garage, but this will be the first major building program undertaken at the hospital since completion of the Harrison Annex in 1983.

Wente said the board's decision to proceed with the project is based on present and future medical-care needs in the region.

Wente said: "The need is clearly there, and as we move into the 21st century we know that, despite uncertainties relative to Medicare, one fact remains: as the community grows and as the region grows people will be ill and need health-care services. Our board of trustees and hospital family as a whole is committed to meeting the needs of this region and anticipating them in such a way that we can provide them in a timely manner.

"With an aging population, new businesses continuing to look at this community and region, and our medical staff growing, there are a lot of reasons to be positive," Wente said. "We are always concerned about issues like socialized medicine and the Medicare reimbursement policy, but the underlying issue is being able to provide care to people who need it. That's why we feel good about this project."

The expansion will create 50 to 60 new jobs in the community, the administrator said.

Dr. Melvin Kasten, second vice president of the hospital board of trustees, explained that the project has been under discussion for about two years. He said it is an effort to meet the future medical needs of the region.

"With the smaller hospitals around the area closing, there is a greater need for bigger and better hospitals in Cape Girardeau," said Kasten. "It is a matter of being prepared for the future."

Kasten said more outpatient surgeries are being done and soon about 70 percent of all surgeries will be on an outpatient basis. He said Southeast is nearing its capacity on providing outpatient service.

Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., first vice president of the board, stressed the need for the hospital to keep up with increased demands for outpatient facilities and to meet health-care needs of the entire region.

"The trend is toward larger city hospitals and phasing out small-town hospitals," said Limbaugh, citing the recent closing of the hospital in Chaffee as an example.

Limbaugh said the expansion should provide facilities to meet the hospital's needs "well into the next century."

Wente explained that work on the first phase is almost ready to bid and construction could get under way later this year and be finished by the end of 1992. The second phase could be bid in December, with construction starting next spring. He anticipated completion in 1994. Once the second phase project is completed, the third phase renovations will begin.

He said the project is being done in three phases over five years to make sure it is done in a cost-effective manner.

The phase-one mechanical support services, Wente said, will include an addition to the present mechanical building to hold two new chiller units, two cooling towers and two emergency generators, which are essential to assure adequate cooling capacity during the summer months. The generators will also provide electrical back-up services to the new clinical services building.

After consulting with Union Electric Co., Wente said it has been determined that the projected electrical demands of the hospital will require the construction of a U.E. substation. This will be constructed west of the hospital's west wing. Just north of this site, a water-reserve system that includes a 60,000-gallon underground water-storage tank will be installed. That is about a two-day supply of water for the hospital.

Wente said these improvements will enhance the hospital's ability to be self-sustaining in the event of a major natural disaster such as a tornado or earthquake.

The pedestrian corridor will be climate controlled and be designed to improve access to the hospital from parking facilities, especially for the elderly or patients during inclement weather.

The new four-story building will be constructed just east of the present Harrison Annex on an area now used for employee parking.

The hospital's emergency services unit will be relocated to the first floor of the building. Wente said that Southeast has seen a steady growth in its emergency services and now sees about 20,000 patients a year. Also, with the Life Beat helicopter serving more of the region, there is a greater demand for emergency service.

Life Beat now flies about 60 times a month. The helipad and dispatching service will be re-located to the roof of the new building.

On the second floor the hospital's current surgical services will be expanded to include four new, large operating rooms capable of accommodating long surgical procedures that require a lot of personnel such as heart, neuro surgery, and orthopedic. The rest of the floor will be used for outpatient treatment and surgery and post-operation services.

On the third floor, the present radiology services will be relocated. Wente explained that in evaluating cost effectiveness it was determined that it would be more economical to build a new facility rather than try to renovate current facilities into a modern radiology department.

There will be several different services provided on the top floor, including 12 additional intensive-care beds. Wente said presently they have 21 adult intensive-care beds, but often have all or most of the beds full.

In addition, the fourth floor will include expanded cardiac catherization services, expanded non-evasive cardiology services, and increased clinical laboratory services.

For the final phase of the project, the vacated emergency and radiology services areas will be remodeled. Wente said that area will be used to expand the lobby and entrance, increase meeting and conference rooms, rehabilitation services, and medical records.

The entire project should be completed in early 1996, Wente said.