Two major hospital remodel projects are expected to be completed this month and have so far come in under budget.
Crews are renovating two sites. Allen County Regional Hospital’s former labor and delivery unit is being converted to a specialty clinic, and the Medical Arts Building at 826 E. Madison St. is being remodeled for use as a health clinic, replacing a facility currently at 401 S. Washington Ave.
About $106,114 remains in contingency funds for both projects. That money is likely to go toward exterior and parking lot improvements at the Medical Arts Building site.
Jeremy Bechtold, vice president for facilities, construction and real estate with the Saint Luke’s Health System, gave an update to county hospital leaders last week. The county owns the hospital buildings and is responsible for maintenance and improvements, while Saint Luke’s leases the facilities and manages health care operations.
Ross Construction is handling both projects.
“Given the supply chain challenges we’ve seen across the board, the contractor has done a good job of keeping this thing moving,” Bechtold said.
Specialty clinic
Most of the construction is complete, with furniture and equipment expected to be installed later this week. An inspection is scheduled for Sept. 14; the clinic should open soon after that.
The project was delayed about a week after hospital officials decided to add two exam rooms for a total of six. The renovation also includes a procedure room, four infusion bays for oncology patients, a waiting room, provider work areas and storage.
So far, the project has been under budget, with $1,058,763.16 spent out of the $1.1 million budget.
The specialty clinic will allow patients to see doctors affiliated with St. Luke’s Health System in areas such as surgery, pulmonology, oncology, wound care and more.
Medical Arts Building
This project remodeled 8,900 square feet, creating 10 exam rooms, five provider offices, a lab and waiting room.
It began in June and construction is expected to be completed by Sept. 16.
Upgrades to the south portion of the building have been completed. It is used by visiting specialists for a cardiology clinic from Wichita and another group that offers ear, nose and throat services.
