Hospital discusses rebranding

At the April 2 meeting of the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, the board discussed a possible name change. Molitor said the idea of rebranding was something she brought up at a recent strategic planning retreat.

“We’re discussing, since we are more now than a hospital,” Molitor said, “should we have a different name.” It would not be a legal change, but more for logo purposes and to recognize that it’s not just the hospital but its clinics and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. The board considered the time to do it is with the building renovation and expansion starting, as the logo will be going on the side of the building.

Hospital CEO Margie Molitor said they are also looking at restructuring the patient experience time. She explained there are 13 individuals, one at a director level, from all aspects who will sit on a committee to discuss how to improve the patient experience. There is also consideration to have two community members to sit on the committee to provide further input from actual patients.

Also at the meeting, a contract and privileges were approved with Dr. Roy Kohler, M.D. out of Billings, who will be reading home sleep studies — a service they hope to provide in the near future.

A contract was also approved with Benjamin Wilford, D.O., who is a resident through the Casper Valley Practice residency, who has been helping cover the emergency room with physician backup for the past few weeks as part of his rotation.

Other happenings with the hospital, Molitor said, is work on one of the old X-ray rooms ready for the new nuclear medicine machine expected to arrive at the end of May. The new chiller — the air conditioning unit — should also be up and running by May 1.

Two nurses recently attended training in Arizona for peripherally inserted central line catheters. Molitor explained this method allows for central access with a port on the arm, which is nice for people who have long term intravenous therapy. Molitor said this a service needed here so people don’t have to undergo multiple pokes for an IV line.

Other training at the hospital includes telestroke, which allows the hospital quicker access to neurologists when EMS responds to the stoke patients, allowing those patients to be taken straight to CT when they get to the hospital.

Also during the meeting, Molitor said, was discussion the building and renovation project which is currently at Phase 0.5. She further explained they are getting the infrastructure set up. She expects to see some dirt work start soon, and noted that as of April 15 the new temporary ER entrance will have to be used; the regular entrance is still usable until that date.

Molitor said the new entrance will always be there, but not always used for the ER. She also stressed when the new entrance is in use there will also be limited parking and the ambulance will still need access, so regular patients should still park on the south side of the building by the main entrance or in the lot across the street.

Monty Wardell, superintendent of Sletten Construction — the firm handling the hospital additions and renovations — said the biggest hurdle with the project so far has been the cold weather, though a ground thaw unit was used to overcome that. He noted the unit could thaw to a depth of about a foot into the ground in 24 hours.

Another issue came up when a damaged sewer line still being used was found, which was fixed, as well as buried cable, steel and concrete. It’s not a big deal, he said, and they’re able to maintain their schedule.

The hospital has been here since 1958, Wardell noted, so there no knowing what might be there. What he’s seen so far is typical of a remodel project. As for the expansion, he expects there won’t be any oddball things found and the project to go rather smoothly.

Wardell further noted the new lines being put in will have wires and wrapped in color-coded foil tape so they can be traced to where and what they actually are.

Overall, Wardell said they will be able to “get out of the gate early” with Phase 1, which includes the majority of the new addition.