Project Grant CE152187

COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING - CONSTRUCTION - COFFEE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER'S LABORATORY CONTINUES TO INCREASE AS WE STRUGGLE WITH TECHNICAL STAFFING SHORTAGES WITHIN OUR LABORATORY (SHORTAGES OF MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGISTS AND MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNICIANS). OUR CURRENT LABORATORY CLINICAL CHEMISTRY PLATFORMS ARE OPERATING AT MAXIMUM CAPACITY. IN ORDER TO SERVE OUR GROWING POPULATION WITH DECREASING TECHNICAL STAFF, WE WOULD LIKE TO RENOVATE AND UPGRADE OUR LABORATORY INSTRUMENTATION TO BETTER SERVE OUR PATIENTS AND TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM THAT WOULD ALLOW AN EXPANSION OF CRMC'S LABORATORY TESTING MENU. OUR LABORATORY WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST FUNDING FOR THE DXA FIT CLINICAL CHEMISTRY AUTOMATION LINE PRODUCED BY BECKMAN COULTER. THIS AUTOMATION LINE WOULD PROVIDE AUTOMATED SAMPLE PROCESSING WITH CONNECTIVITY TO (2) DXC 700 CLINICAL CHEMISTRY ANALYZERS AND (2) DXI 1800 IMMUNOASSAY ANALYZERS A DXH 900 HEMATOLOGY ANALYZER AS WELL AS A LABORATORY INFORMATION SYSTEM UPDATE. BY AUTOMATING THESE PROCESSES IN OUR LABORATORY, WE CAN PROVIDE QUALITY LABORATORY RESULTS IN A MORE EFFICIENT MANNER. AUTOMATION WILL ALLOW OUR RURAL HOSPITAL LABORATORY TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY, REDUCE HUMAN ERROR, PROVIDE SAFER WORKING CONDITIONS, OFFER QUICKER TIME FOR DIAGNOSIS, AND PATIENT SAFETY ALL WHILE MAXIMIZING OUR LABORATORY SPACE AND SPEND. SOFTWARE THAT IS INTEGRATED WITH THE DXA FIT AUTOMATION LINE WILL ALLOW OUR LABORATORY TO BEGIN AUTO VERIFICATION OF MANY LABORATORY VALUES, PROVIDING PATIENT RESULTS TO OUR PHYSICIANS MORE QUICKLY THAN EVER BEFORE. UPGRADING OUR LABORATORY WITH IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL SPACE AND THESE TOOLS WILL ALLOW US, IN THESE CHALLENGING TIMES, WHEN STAFFING SHORTAGES CONTINUE AND THE NEXT COVID SURGE COULD OCCUR AT ANY TIME, TO MAINTAIN HIGH PRODUCTIVITY, EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY. ACCORDING TO A 2022 US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT RANKING, THE STATE OF GEORGIA RANKS 43RD IN THE UNITED STATES IN HEALTH CARE. EVERY DOLLAR INVESTED IN HELPING IMPROVE ACCESS TO CARE AND PREVENTATIVE DIAGNOSES WILL R EDUCE EXPENSES FOR CRITICAL MORE EXPENSIVE ILLNESSES AND TREATMENT AND IMPROVE IN QUALITY OF LIFE AND BETTER OVERALL ECONOMIC VITALITY FOR OUR STATE. COFFEE REGIONAL'S PRIMARY SERVICE AREA INCLUDES COFFEE AND ATKINSON COUNTIES ACCOUNTING FOR APPROXIMATELY 60,000 RESIDENTS AND THE SECONDARY SERVICE AREA OF THE NINE CONTIGUOUS COUNTIES ACCOUNTS FOR APPROXIMATELY 160,000 INDIVIDUALS. IN COFFEE COUNTY, 23.9% OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE LIVING IN POVERTY COMPARED TO 11.8% NATIONALLY. IN ADDITION, 19.5% OF PERSONS UNDER AGE 65 DO NOT HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPARED WITH THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF 10%. COMPARED TO OTHER COUNTIES IN GEORGIA, COFFEE COUNTY CURRENTLY RANKS 110TH OF GEORGIA'S 159 COUNTIES IN TERMS OF HEALTH STATUS ACCORDING TO THE HEALTHY STATS WEBSITE AND HAS A CURRENT HPSA SCORE OF 20 WHICH MEANS HIGHLIGHTS THE PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE IN OUR REGION; FOR THIS INDICATOR A SCORE CAN RANGE BETWEEN 0-26, AND THE HIGHER THE SCORE THE GREATER THE PRIORITY. FOR OUR SERVICE AREA, MANY CITIZENS DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY OR TRANSPORTATION TO TRAVEL TO ACCESS HEALTHCARE. THUS, THIS FUNDING WILL BENEFIT CITIZENS IN OUR SERVICE AREA BY ALLOWING THEM TO HAVE ACCESS TO QUALITY LABORATORY SERVICES RIGHT HERE AT HOME. THIS WILL ALSO ALLOW FOR QUICKER DIAGNOSES AND PREVENT MORE CRITICAL ILLNESSES. COFFEE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. (CRMC), FOUNDED IN 1953, IS A NON-PROFIT, ACUTE CARE 98 BED HOSPITAL IN DOUGLAS, GEORGIA. THE HOSPITAL'S 200,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY IS DESIGNED WITH INPATIENT ADULT AND PEDIATRIC BEDS, EXPANDED OUTPATIENT SERVICE AREAS, INCLUDING INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY AND HEMATOLOGY AND ONCOLOGY INFUSION SERVICES TO ASSURE EXCEPTIONAL CARE AND WELLNESS CLOSE TO HOME. CRMC MEETS ALL THE CRITERIA FOR THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY AND IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL FEDERAL AND STATE GUIDELINES AS A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER FOR OUR SERVICE AREA.