The Richland Hospital marked completion of the Second Phase of its Renovation Project recently. The Joan Woodman Orton McCollum Birth Center opened its newly renovated doors on May 5th, 2010. Following the design esthetic from the med / surg unit, the Birth Center’s color scheme is warm and soothing. Willow insets on a glass door along with the new flooring welcome visitors and patients into the unit’s embrace.

A new Operating Room, located in the unit will keep patients nearby for C-Section deliveries. This will minimize the time it takes for the patient to be moved from the Birth Center to the O.R. The result is an improved quality of healthcare and maximized bonding time for families.

Steve Nockerts, Richland Hospital CEO said that this portion of the project proved to be a little more challenging than expected because some surprises were found behind existing walls. “Anytime you renovate an older space, there is potential to find the unexpected,” he said. “After all was said and done, the unit looks great. The transition from the Med / Surg unit to the Birth Center is very seamless,” Nockerts said.

The one day move, that brought the birth unit from its temporary home on second floor to its renovated space on third floor, went well. Barb Nimocks is the Birth Center Unit Coordinator. “The transition went very smoothly,” Nimocks said. “The nurses in our unit say that everything is going very well.”

 “We are waiting a few weeks for everything to settle before we use the new O.R. for a c-section,” Nimocks said. “Kraemer Brothers did an exceptional job getting everything into the O.R. that needed to be there.”