SOUTHEAST BUILDS FOR THE FUTURE

It's big, it's new, and Southeast Missouri Hospital's Clinical Services Building is almost complete.

This past week workers were installing lighting fixtures in new operating rooms, hanging plaques and placing furniture.

As new equipment arrives it is being installed in the new areas. Departments will begin moving in mid-April.

A public open house is planned April 10, with a cornerstone dedication at 1 p.m. and tours from 2-5 p.m. Refreshments, activities for children and health screenings are planned.

A shuttle service is planned from the Show Me Center to Southeast during the open house.

Two middle levels of the structure will be completed this fall. They will house radiology and cardiology departments.

When the entire structure is complete, it will increase the square footage under roof at Southeast by 40 percent.

Here are some highlights of the soon-to-be-completed building:

Emergency Services:

The emergency services utilizes a center court concept with doctors and nurses stationed in the center of the facility. Rooms with glass fronts allow nurses and physicians to see each patient.

The emergency room includes 18 patient beds. Each room has been set up to double its occupancy in the event of a disaster. A staff conference room will hold another six beds in a disaster situation.

The 55-seat waiting room features a pediatric corner with children's furniture and videos for children.

Since one-third of the patients seen by Southeast's emergency staff are children, two rooms have been specially decorated and set aside for pediatrics patients. Equipment in these rooms is sized and designed for children from birth to age 16.

Another of the rooms features special X-ray equipment that allows for full-body X-rays without moving or turning a critically injured patient.

Surgery:

The addition of 30,000 square feet of surgery space more than doubles the size of existing surgery facilities. The total square footage of surgery will now be over 47,000. The new construction adds four operating rooms, bringing the total number of major operating rooms at Southeast to 10.

One of the new operating rooms is equipped with ultraviolet lighting for use during total joint-replacement surgeries. The lighting provides a more sterile environment for this kind of orthopedic procedure.

The new outpatient surgery waiting room accommodates more than 60 people and overlooks Capaha Park. Approximately 65 to 70 percent of surgeries at Southeast are done on an outpatient basis.

LifeBeat:

The top floor houses LifeBeat, the hospital's air medical service. It's quarters will double in size to 1,100 square feet. The helipad on the roof is a "floating" structure, which means it can be moved in the event of future hospital expansion. The helipad is also heated to give the service greater flexibility to operate in snow or ice.

Direct access from the helipad to the emergency room is provided by an elevator.

The LifeBeat facilities are not planned as part of the public tour.