March 4, 2016 at 4:55 p.m.
New and improved: Ministry Medical Group unveils completed projects at Rhinelander campus
New and improved: Ministry Medical Group unveils completed projects at Rhinelander campus
By Kayla Thomason-
They had a great turnout with two tour groups of 20 individuals each within the first hour.
Attendees witnessed the 36 new parking spaces, which were situated close to the emergency and clinic doors. The spaces were added last summer by request from the patients.
Upon entering the hospital, guests gazed upon new stairs, which had a beautiful Northwoods-meets-modern design with the light wood and frosted plexiglass. At the top of the stairs it had a loft, where visitors could look down toward the waiting room and reception desk.
Linda Grzesik, guest, said the staircase made the area seem more open and was very well planned. She added that Ministry is very concerned about the community, wants to take care of them and involve them.
"I think it's great, I think a lot of people - myself included - always wanted to take the stairs instead of taking the elevator so this is great," Grzesik said. "It looks professional, it looks relaxing, calming, the seating here where people can just sit and wait, it's very relaxing, very comfortable."
Betty Lidral, another guest, liked the staircase.
"I think it's very effective, it seems more spacious and there is better access to the second floor," she said.
Sandy Anderson, regional vice president and hospital president for Ministry North, said she was pleased with the way the architects matched the new structures to the old.
"We worked real hard to get the staircase to fit in with the architectural environment already and I thought that the architects HGA as well as (The Samuels Group) did a great job with that," Anderson said.
Grzesik also liked how the new and old architecture blended so well and pointed out it drew more attention to the beams.
Anderson was also happy the staircase has had a lot of traffic.
"I like (the renovations) a lot," she said. "Every time that I take the stairs to go up to see a physician or visit with the physicians I've never been on the staircase alone."
The location for the new stairs to the second floor allows staff and patients to easily access the services on the second floor such as women's health and audiology.
Past the stairs is an open waiting room, with chairs to accommodate individuals with different needs. The colors were warm and inviting in their shades of earthy browns.
Grzesik was impressed with the increased functionality and better medical care aspect of the facility without loosing the Northwoods feel.
"They kept it with a Northwoods kind of aesthetic theme with the wood and the earth tones, and I just loved the staircase, the waiting area was very comfortable for patients - that's going to be a real asset," she said.
The furniture was chosen to accommodate everybody and it has different sizes of chairs, some of which are elevated for those patients who have had joint replacements, as well as a love seat-style chair for guests to sit next to one another without the arm rests interfering.
"We've really tried to accommodate everyone in the waiting room," Anderson said.
Next to the waiting room was the registration and check out areas, centralized so patients could check in quicker and with fewer steps.
"I think the changes will allow us to more easily help patients find their way and to have patients take less steps in and out," said Kathy Richards-Bess, regional administrator for the Ministry Medical Group clinics.
Lidral liked the waiting area but thought there should be some sort of signaling which cubical in the reception area is open.
"I've always had great success coming here, short waits and pleasant staff and all," she said.
Grzesik thought the waiting room concept was great, there was enough of a barrier for privacy and the nurses station and the functionality was well planned out to benefit both patients and staff.
"We made one very long nurses station that everyone can see one another and it's grouped into pods of the groups that work with certain groups of doctors or nurse practitioners," Richards-Bess said.
The new arrangement reduces footsteps nurses need to take to get to patients or staff. It has also enhanced communication and finding where staff is.
Improved procedure rooms in the interior of the clinic increased the square footage in the clinics - 700 sq. feet on the second floor and 1,300 sq. feet of usable space to see patients.
The clinic was pushed out into the waiting area to make the room.
Grzesik was pleased to see the nurses station and how it was laid out.
"That will definitely help with patient care and efficency because of the way they have that set up," she said.
She was ecstatic to see the various meeting rooms and public education rooms
"I was amazed and kind of happy for was the number of meeting rooms and the amount of group public education like smoking cessation and diabetes education as well," Grzesik said.
A new restroom was also added to the laboratory phlebotomy station.
"I think that our patients will really benefit and that's really what it's all about - making the facility easy for them to get around, to get from place to place and to help our staff be closer to the physicians and to help meet the needs of all of the people that come here every day," said Kim Baltus, foundation director for Sacred Heart Saint Mary's Hospitals.
She thinks in many ways it's hard to tell - if you were a first-time visitor - what was new architecture and what was old.
In addition to the simple elegance of the newly finished spaces, participants witnessed a ribbon cutting, met new clinicians, toured the area and enjoyed refreshments.
Construction started in March of 2015 and was completed in February.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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