Homer celebrates hospital improvements

By Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune

Photo provided The South Peninsula Hospital celebrated a ribbon cutting Saturday to mark the remodel and expansion, with remarks by hospital officials and Mayors Dave Carey (right) and Jim Hornaday (center.)

More than 200 people turned out to help celebrate the newly remodeled South Peninsula Hospital Saturday, an event that commemorated $14.7 million in improvements that include the town’s gain of spacious birthing and surgery centers.
After hearing remarks by Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Dave Carey and other dignitaries, ribbons were cut on the new facility and a spread of locally produced foods were served by the Hospital’s Auxiliary. The event provided an opportunity to try out a new healthy communities template, said Derotha Ferraro, hospital spokesperson. That means instead of hot dogs, serve good nutritious foods at ground breakings.
“We wanted a healthy menu that is as much as possible locally-produced. Cook Inlet salmon, a huge garden salad of mixed greens, carrots and tomatoes from local farmers and greenhouses. A big tabouli salad…” Ferraro said. “We tried really hard to have a healthy but palate-pleasing menu.”
Some 130 people took advantage of the hospital tours.
“It’s a great day, even though it rained and we ended up moving many activities indoors. I think people got a really good behind the scenes tour of the newly remodeled hospital,” she said.
Door prizes included a round-trip ticket on Grant Aviation, won by Eryn Field.
New features of the remodel include a family birthing center with labor/delivery/postpartum suites overlooking Kachemak Bay.  The Surgery Center was expanded to include outpatient suites for common day-surgery procedures, a registration area, new waiting area and additional pre and post surgery areas. The laboratory formerly on the upper level of the hospital is now located near the main entrance. Outpatient visitors to the lab are asked to use the main entrance on the upper level and check in at registration before proceeding to the lab. The Pharmacy has also been expanded and relocated to the upper level.
The final piece of the multi-phase project is an addition to house a new MRI, completing the five-year project which started in 2005 with a new main entrance and emergency department, and a most recently completed 18 private patient rooms and a rooftop helistop. Since funding from the original project came in under budget, the other high-priority improvements could also be made.
“The base project came in low enough that we were able to stretch remaining dollars to do the birth center improvements and have some applied toward the MRI project, which is already started,” Ferraro said. The MRI project could be complete by January.

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