New Good Samaritan Hospital to Transfer Patients on Jan. 27
The new $237 million St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital in Mount Vernon will open on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 with the transfer of an estimated 130 patients five to 10 minutes apart by five Southern Illinois ambulances services including the Pinckneyville Ambulance Service.
Southern Illinois is invited to guided tours of the facility from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5 and from 1 - 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. There was a St. Mary's Gala planned for New Year's Eve featuring the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
The gala on Dec. 31 was from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at the new medical center. Tickets to the event gave visitors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the hospital before its official patient move-in on Jan. 27. The gala celebrated the New Year, as well as completion of over 30 months of construction on the new hospital.
The gala will feature dancing, hors d'oeuvres, drinks, a silent auction and musical entertainment. Guided tours of the new hospital will take place starting at 8 pm and show visitors the all-private patient rooms, expanded ER, as well as locations normally off-limits to the public, including surgery operating rooms and catheterization labs.
Attendees will be some of the first to see the hospital's fireplace-furnished patient areas, ornate stained glass chapel window and other signature features of the new hospital.
"We've been blessed with remarkable support for this event, as well as the construction of the new hospital from throughout Southern Illinois. We're expecting over 450 supporters to ring in the New Year with us that evening," said Bruce Flanigan, vice president of fund development at Good Samaritan.
A special toast was given at 11:50 p.m. to commemorate the New Year and new hospital. At midnight, a fireworks display will ring in the New Year.
"The new hospital represents a new era as we raise the bar for health care in the region," said Mike Warren, president of the Good Samaritan Regional Health Center. "What better way to celebrate this exciting time of new beginnings than with a New Year's Gala."
Tickets are $150 per person and all proceeds support the Good Samaritan Regional Health Center Foundation. Formal attire is encouraged. For ticket information call the Foundation office at (618) 241-2319.
The new Good Samaritan Regional Health Center is located on Veterans Memorial Drive, adjacent to the new interchange for I-57 and I-64. The five-floor hospital holds 134 beds, eight observation beds, all-private rooms and numerous advanced patient safety features. The hospital also includes greatly expanded Emergency Care services, Women's Center and a Procedure Center.
The four nursing units include beds for cardiac, orthopedics/neurology and rehabilitation, surgical and oncology, medical and pulmonary and an intensive care unit. The 20-room emergency department accommodates 34,000 annual visits. A women's center and pediatric care center are included, as well as surgery, diagnostic imaging, a cardiac cath lab, diagnostics and rehabilitation. Landscaping and outdoor dining areas will add to the patient experience.
The facility's image communicates a vision toward the future while integrating nature to create a restful, peaceful environment. Good Samaritan Regional Health Center announced in 2009 intentions to replace the current hospital with a new medical campus.
Good Samaritan Hospital by the Numbers
• 359,000 square foot replacement hospital.
• Designed by BSA Lifestructures.
• Construction by McCarthy Construction of St. Louis, Lipps Construction of Mt. Vernon, and Shores Builders of Centralia.
• Consists of five floors and a Garden Level, plus numerous patient entrances surrounded by convenient parking.
• 134 beds plus 8 observation beds; all private rooms.
• Medical office building, including a Surgery Center and outpatient diagnostic services, will be connected to the hospital.
• $9 million Surgery Center is a partnership with our physicians; offering made in August of 2010 quickly sold out.
• Project averaged 275 full-time construction jobs during the building process.
• Total investment for the replacement hospital, Medical Office Building, and Surgery Center is an estimated $237 million.
• $1.5 million of the project was dedicated to tearing down the existing facility and converting the land into neighborhood lots, raising the property values of the surrounding neighborhoods.
• Uses color, graphics, landmarks and views of the exterior to make finding your way easier.
• Lighting, HVAC, plumbing and hot water systems that are designed to be "green" - energy efficient.
• Large, all-private rooms with family accommodations that encourage loved ones to stay overnight with patients in comfort.
• Decentralized nursing stations that literally bring staff within footsteps and view of patients for optimal safety, service and response.
• Easily accessible outpatient services designed for maximum convenience with close parking and multiple building entrances.
• Physicians offices on campus, located just footsteps away from the hospital's imaging, lab and procedure areas.