Welcome to ZZ Sumter Regional Hospital

STATE OF THE HOSPITAL: A weekly update from David H. Seagraves, President and CEO of Sumter Regional Hospital

Posted 10/08/2007
These days most people seem to have three basic questions about our work to rebuild Sumter Regional Hospital: What's happening inside the new building?  When will it open?  And when will the old building come down?  I thought I'd use this week's column to address those questions.

First, let me address the progress at the new hospital, or SRH East, as we call it.  Since all 357 COGIM units are in place, the only visible activity from the street is the red steel panel roof that is marching its way from east to west across the top of the building.  The contractors are making steady progress on this, and we hope that is encouraging to all of you as you drive by.

Inside, however, is where the real action is.  Workers are putting up metal wall studs, installing the ductwork that will handle our heating and air conditioning needs, and installing the electrical, medical gas, and plumbing systems.  The interior wall studs are probably about 90 percent complete, and the other components are between 40 and 60 percent complete.  Soon, they will be pulling wires and putting up sheetrock.  We believe that you will be very impressed with the interior of the facility when it is complete and are anxious for you to be able to see it.

Second, to the question of when SRH East will open, we're shooting hard to complete construction by the end of November with the facility opening in early December.  If work continues at the current pace and we don't encounter any major new surprises, we should be able to hit that target – but that second concern is really a pretty big “if.”  If there's one thing I've learned since March 1, it's to expect the unexpected.  Every day brings a new surprise and new challenges.

I hate to hedge on that forecast, but it's the best and most honest answer we can give the community right now.  It's worth pointing out that, to the best of our knowledge, we're doing something that's never been done before in the history of the United States – rebuilding, in a matter of months, a hospital that was shut down by a natural disaster.  We hope you'll keep in mind as well that the building of a hospital is a unique and complicated endeavor, unlike virtually any other type of construction.  We operate under very tight regulations designed to ensure patient safety and other quality measures, and the fact that ours is an “emergency” situation does not relieve us of any of those responsibilities.

While we are shooting for an early December grand opening at SRH East, we know that we will have to undergo numerous regulatory reviews and inspections before the facility is completed and ready to be opened under, again, unprecedented circumstances.  The truth is that we, along with our Federal and State governments, are learning in the process.  While we're comfortable with the early December target for opening, the better answer is that we will not open it one day later than we have to, but we will also not open it one day earlier if doing so would compromise the safety of our patients, visitors, hospital staff, or physicians in any way.

And that brings us to the question of demolishing the old building.  We are still in the process of finalizing a contract to have asbestos removed from the oldest portions of the building, and it would not be safe to begin demolition prior to that necessary step being completed.

Right now we hope to be in a position to begin demolition in mid- to late-November, and we'll publicize it well in advance for those of you who might want to stand on the hill on Reese Street between Forsyth and Lamar to watch it.  We are determining the best way to remove sections of the building that would allow us to sell commemorative bricks for anyone who has an interest, and we'll talk more about that soon.

Regarding the actual demolition, we know there's been some speculation about using dynamite or other explosives to implode the building, and that would no doubt be pretty exciting.  Our research so far, however, suggests that in our situation it would be a lot safer and more controlled to use cranes, bulldozers, and other machinery to knock down the buildings.  Keep watching for further updates as we make progress with the contractors.  We'll be sure to keep you informed in this regard.

Again, on behalf of our staff, physicians, and nurses, thank you so very much for your continued support during this time of rebuilding.  We greatly appreciate your support of the hospital through the SPLOST vote and your decisions to continue seeking healthcare in our community in spite of the obvious obstacles.

We pray God's richest blessings on you and on our community in the days and months ahead.

US Patent Numbers 7,720,998 B2, 7,836,207