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An artist's rendering of the new Marshall County Hospital, scheduled to open within the next year.

New facility won't change hospital's small-town charm

By Misti Strader
Tribune-Courier News Editor
mstrader@tribunecourier.com

BENTON– “Expansive. Lots of natural flowing light. Soothing and hospitable.” Those are the words being used by architects to describe the new Marshall County Hospital set to be completed by February of 2009.

The new “health care icon,” as it has been dubbed, is set to serve the community in much the same, small town, family-friendly way as it has for the past 45 years, but in a more convenient, eye-appealing manner, said CEO Kathy Long.

The story of the Marshall County Hospital began in 1961. Through local citizens’ contributions, bonds and federal funds, the concept for the facility, known then as the Benton Municipal Hospital was born. On a wintry day in February, the first ground breaking ceremony took place.

The original layout featured a one-story design, 25 one or two-bed patient rooms, an emergency room, recovery room, labor and delivery rooms and a food preparation area.

A few years later, a 40-bed convalescent nursing wing was included and in 1982, the surgery/ancillary wing was added, increasing the size of the facility by more than 30 percent.

The new wing featured a five-bed emergency room, an Intensive Care Unit, and radio-fluoroscopy and radio-tomography units as well.

In 1983, plans were set in motion for construction of the physician’s office building, and by the next year, proposals were accepted for the construction of a new administrative wing.

Fast-forward to 2002 and the board began exploring the need in the community for a new medical facility. After receiving “critical care access” status from the federal government, the site selection committee began reviewing various site locations throughout the county.

Now, in 2008, ground has been broken for the new 25-bed, critical access facility. And excitement is already being generated not only among staff, but throughout the community as large numbers of supporters gathered to celebrate the ground-breaking ceremony in early January’s near-freezing temperatures.

And according to architectural plans, all the enthusiasm may be well deserved.

The picturesque rendering of the new facility showcases the planning of various courtyard garden areas, expansive skylights and glasswork, and an easy patient access point located under the tower and drop-off canopy in the front of the building.

The hospital’s visibility from the Purchase Parkway has been instrumental in design planning as well.

A burgundy brick exterior will serve as what is being referred to as “the connection to Kentucky’s traditional architecture,” and the site’s property location totaling 31 acres is said to offer a new level of visibility and accessibility for patients.

In addition, the new facility is set to have an expansive lobby area, courtyards located within patient corridors and centralized registration to ease the stress said to commonly be associated with visiting a medical facility.

In an interview with hospital administrators, there was a common consensus among staff that while many things are in the process of changing, the things that have made the hospital an integral part of this community for the past 45 years, will remain the same.

“The success of this hospital can be attributed to the quality of its employees,” said Head of Nursing and 27-year hospital employee Phyllis Blackwell.

“While health care has changed significantly over the years, one thing has remained the same at Marshall County Hospital. “We are a smaller facility which gives us the opportunity to get to know our patients. In many ways, the patients who come here for their medical treatment become family to us.”

Hospital CEO Kathy Long said another reason for the hospital’s long-time success lies within the staff’s level of compassion and empathy for patients.

“We stress the importance of having those qualities to all of our employees here at the hospital,” she said. “We want every patient to know that we understand what they are going through and regardless of their situation, they are going to get the best care possible.”

When asked whether the small-town feel of the old hospital will be lost in the newer, more modern and expansive design of the new facility, Long said “no,” emphasizing that the changes will be purely cosmetic.

“This community deserves a newer medical facility that is aesthetically appealing, one they can be proud of. But what they are going to get there is the same thing that we have been offering them here for 45 years and that is top of the line health care, in a small-town, friendly environment.”

Chief Financial Officer, Janice Kelley added to Long’s statement by saying, “We know we have a great hospital here. We have a wonderful staff of physicians and nurses with the most up-to-date technology. But it is time to update our look and that is what the new facility will enable us to do.”

Of those updated features, the new building is set to house similar departments together, creating easy access and navigation for patients throughout the facility.

Public Relations Manager Dana Harvey said ease of navigation for patients has been somewhat problematic in the current facility.

“It is very easy to get turned around in here,” she said with a telling grin. “Most every time I walk through the building, I find someone wandering around, trying to find their way somewhere. With all of the additions that have been made to this hospital through the years, it can be like finding your way through a maze.”

Chiming in on the issue, Blackwell said, “I will be so glad to not have to tell another patient, ‘go down the crooked hall to the carpeted hall then make a left.”

Limited parking has also been an issue at the current facility, but will no longer be a problem at the new location, Harvey said.

One of the bigger changes in the move comes in where the current facility’s Long-Term Care Unit is concerned.
The 40-bed department was recently sold to Britthaven of Benton.

Said Blackwell, “We needed to focus on what we do best and that is running a hospital. Long-term care is becoming such a specialized field, that we just did not have the expertise to continue to handle the unit. However, a large cooperation like Britthaven does have that specialization. It’s what they do.”

Long also pointed out that all employees who formerly worked for Marshall County in Long-Term Care were able to retain their jobs and transfer their employment to Britthaven during the transaction.

“We have got to focus on our mission,” said Long. “And that is being the best hospital we can be.”

Kelley added a financial perspective to the equation.

“Selling the long-term unit was very much a financial decision for us. To be able to build a new facility, meant that we had to be able to pay for it and not by raising taxes. Long-term care is not profitable in smaller facilities. To be financially responsible with taxpayer dollars, we had to make a decision that would serve the patients and community best. And we feel like we were able to do that.”

For now, staff at the hospital say they are happy to continue offering their services with an unmatched small-town sense of pride while eagerly anticipating the completion of their new facility.

In closing, the message from administrators seemed clear. The success of the new hospital will not be determined by the quality of the materials from which it is built, but by the quality of the people within in it.