Project Grant CE146561

COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING - CONSTRUCTION - NORTHERN LIGHT BLUE HILL HOSPITAL 57 WATER STREET, BLUE HILL, ME 04614 PROJECT DIRECTOR: TIMOTHY DOAK CONTACT PHONE NUMBER: 207.275.1525 EMAIL ADDRESS: TDOAK@NORTHERNLIGHT.ORG HTTPS://WWW.NORTHERNLIGHTHEALTH.ORG/BLUE-HILL-HOSPITAL BLUE HILL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, DOING BUSINESS AS NORTHERN LIGHT BLUE HILL HOSPITAL (NL BLUE HILL HOSPITAL), WILL CONSTRUCT A NEW EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL ACCESS TO EMERGENCY SERVICES FOR THE BLUE HILL PENINSULA AND LARGER HANCOCK COUNTY, MAINE. NL BLUE HILL HOSPITAL IS INTEGRAL TO THE TOWN AND PENINSULA, AS WELL AS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF NORTHERN LIGHT HEALTH'S REGIONAL RURAL HEALTH CARE MODEL SERVING HANCOCK COUNTY AND BEYOND. THE HOSPITAL FACILITY WAS INCREASINGLY IN NEED OF REPAIRS AND COSTLY TO MAINTAIN DUE TO ITS AGE. COST ESTIMATES FOUND THAT THE COST TO REPAIR EXCEEDED THE COST TO REPLACE. FURTHER ANALYSIS CONFIRMED BOTH THE NEED TO RIGHT-SIZE THE HOSPITAL FACILITY TO SUSTAIN INPATIENT BEDS IN HANCOCK COUNTY, PARTICULARLY TO CARE FOR THE AGING POPULATION, AS WELL AS THE NEED TO PRESERVE 24/7 EMERGENCY CARE ON THE BLUE HILL PENINSULA - WHERE A PATIENT'S TRIP TO THE HOSPITAL MAY BEGIN WITH A LONG BOAT RIDE FROM ONE OF THE MANY ISLANDS NL BLUE HILL HOSPITAL SERVES. CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING ($1 MILLION) WILL SUPPORT COSTS RELATED TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT. THE COSTS OF BUILDING OUT THE NEW EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE NEW NL BLUE HILL HOSPITAL TOTAL $1,817,696. THE REMAINING $817,696 IN CONSTRUCTION COSTS WILL BE SUPPORTED THROUGH OTHER SOURCES, PRINCIPALLY PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY. NL BLUE HILL HOSPITAL'S NEW 4,360 SQUARE FOOT EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT (ED), WITH 24/7 COVERAGE, WILL BE CONSTRUCTED AT THE REAR OF A NEW 21,272 SQUARE FOOT HOSPITAL TO BE SITUATED ON THE FRONT PORTION OF THE EXISTING HOSPITAL CAMPUS ABUTTING WATER STREET. THIS ED LOCATION WILL PROVIDE READY ACCESS FOR AMBULANCE TRANSPORT AS WELL AS TO THE ONSITE HELIPAD FOR RAPID TRANSFER TO TERTIARY CARE. THE NEW ED WILL HAVE FIVE EXAM ROOMS, INCLUDING AN EXAM ROOM WITH NEGATIVE PRESSURE CAPABILITY FOR WHEN SUCH ISOLATION IS NEEDED, AND ONE LARGER EXAM ROOM TO ACCOMMODATE MORE COMPLEX SITUATIONS. AT THE TRIAGE STATION INSIDE THE ENTRANCE TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, PATIENTS WILL BE DIRECTED TO THE APPROPRIATE EXAM ROOM OR THE ED WAITING AREA. THE ED ALSO INCLUDES A MEDICATIONS ROOM, SHARED OFFICE FOR CLINICIANS, NURSES' STATION, CLINICIAN DICTATION AREA WITH DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE NORTHERN LIGHT HEALTH ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD SYSTEM, SOILED AND CLEAN UTILITIES AND OTHER SUPPORT SPACES, AND ACCESSIBLE RESTROOMS. IMAGING SERVICES WILL BE LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE ED. THE NL BLUE HILL HOSPITAL ED FACILITIES ARE APPROPRIATELY SIZED BASED ON PROJECTED INDUSTRY TRENDS, DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES, AND NORTHERN LIGHT HEALTH'S STREAMLINED REGIONAL RURAL HEALTH CARE MODEL, DESIGNED TO SUSTAIN ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL CARE IN THE FACE OF INCREASING NUMBERS OF RURAL HOSPITAL CLOSURES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.