BUSINESS PROFILE: Stevens Community Medical Center, Morris
Expanded and enhanced Radiology, Therapy Departments also part of project
By Jim Palmer
A few years ago, Stevens Community Medical Center (SCMC) in Morris identified a lack of space and the need for improvements to their Emergency Room (ER).
“Space in the ER wasn’t a major issue every day, but on the days where volumes were higher, it was definitely an issue,” said Kerrie McEvilly, SCMC President/CEO. “Besides needing more exam rooms, storage was also lacking, we had no designated ER waiting room, and a more functional layout was needed.”
At the same time, McEvilly said, the Radiology department was landlocked with no room for expansion, and Therapy Services and Cardiac Rehab were in need of more square footage to best treat their patients.
The wheels were set into motion in what became a 16,000-square-foot addition at SCMC with a groundbreaking taking place in September 2023. That expansion project is now nearing completion.
“The project included a brand new ER, expansion of NovaCare Therapy Services, as well as upgrades to the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and DEXA (Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry) Scanners, which will provide a more efficient and comfortable experience for all of our patients,” said McEvilly. “The mostly unfinished second story, which is roughly 5,000 square feet, also provides a blank slate for future expansion without much additional cost. We believe the upgrades will enhance the patient experience, as we always strive to keep the needs of our patients at the forefront of everything we do.”
Emergency Room
“We are very excited about the fact that we have built a brand new Emergency Department that our front line staff helped design,” said Suzie Eklund, CNO at SCMC. “We have a total of eight new patient rooms. We have two large trauma rooms that will have new patient monitors. We have two treatment rooms where we will care for the non-trauma patients and we have two fast track rooms that have reclining chairs where we will treat the most stable patients. We also have two rooms that are ligature free where we can safely place patients who have concerns affecting their mental health.”
The SCMC patient rooms are situated around its nursing station to create an efficient space. They also have a large waiting room and a room where families of critically ill patients can have some privacy while care is being provided.
“Because Emergency Room stays can be several hours, all of our rooms will have TVs and we feel we have created a space with a calm aesthetic,” said Eklund. “We have also installed an additional elevator that will allow for more private transportation of our patients to the second floor inpatient area.”
A big factor in every aspect of the expansion project has been safety.
“The desire to accommodate more patients and to have a space with increased safety for patients and staff had the biggest impact on the decision to build this new ER,” said Eklund. “The pandemic found us converting utility and store rooms into patient care spaces and we continued to find ourselves needing these overflow rooms at times. We also needed to improve the safety for our staff and patients if violence were to occur. Our new space has multiple exit paths in the event of an active shooter or threat of violence.”
Radiology Upgrades
“SCMC purchased a new MRI to provide a more comfortable and user-friendly space for our patients,” said Maureen Ritter-Gonnerman, SCMC Radiology Director.
“The new magnet will be on the leading edge of technology in west central Minnesota and will create a more efficient scan for our patients,” said Mike Nagel, MRI Technologist at SCMC.
The new MRI scanner has a “wide-bore” opening, which creates more headroom and space around the patient than with the previous MRI scanner.
“This not only improves the comfort level for patients, but it is also helpful for larger size patients and those with claustrophobia,” said Nagel. “As an added benefit, the scan speed is much faster.”
“The new MRI suite has added privacy and patients will get the same quality of imaging as they would receive in a larger hospital,” said Ritter-Gonnerman. “The MRI upgrade will allow SCMC to stay on the leading edge of technology, offer overall better comfort for the patient, and provide a faster scan with better quality images.”
SCMC has also replaced its existing DEXA Scanner with a brand new system. “With this new system, we will continue to provide our patients with quality images to aid the providers in diagnosing and treating osteoporosis and other bone health issues,” said Ritter-Gonnerman.
With the ER moving to the new space, the vacated space of the old ER will be available for future expansion, including for Radiology Services. A new CT scanner is in the future plans for SCMC.
“This move allows us to expand our radiology department as we plan for an upgraded CT scanner in the future,” said Eklund. “We truly want to serve as many patients as possible in a space where they are safe and comfortable right in their hometown. With more rooms and space, we can serve more patients with an efficient workflow and state-of-the-art equipment. This is a great benefit for our patients and staff.”
NovaCare Therapy Services
Another key part to this expansion involved NovaCare Rehabilitation, the in-house physical (PT), occupational (OT) and speech therapy department located inside SCMC. NovaCare also partners with SCMC to offer a Cardiac Rehabilitation program.
“The PT, OT, and Cardiac Rehab areas were renovated and expanded as part of this major building project,” said Chandel Dietz, NovaCare Therapy Services Director. “Previously, NovaCare had primarily operated on the main level, but with the new construction project, that was expanded.”
Brand new Cardiac Rehab and OT areas were added on the second floor, which made it possible for NovaCare to build an expanded PT gym on the main floor. And the expanded waiting room will better accommodate the growing patient base, according to Dietz.
“The new PT space will allow for improved efficiency to provide better therapy services overall,” said Dietz.
PT added gym space on both the first and second floor, which allows them to provide more space and services to their growing patient population. The new services include Game Ready ice compression for athletes to use after injury or competition, Blaze Pods and Synaptic Strobe eyewear (both used for concussions), visual rehab, reaction time, and athletic training. SCMC also invested in a new treadmill, Nustep, Total Gym Power Tower, Shuttle balance system, SciFit, two large mat tables, and mirrored wall for all orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation.
“OT was able to add space for work conditioning programs and equipment, and a separate new gym space for our pediatric patients including a rock wall, therapy swings and floor mats. It also has a space specifically designated for hand therapy and custom splinting,” said Dietz. “And Cardiac Rehab added separate space and equipment to provide safe, undisrupted services to those needing rehabilitation after heart procedures and events.”
Project nears completion
“We are very grateful that this undertaking could come to fruition,” said McEvilly. “This project would not have been possible without the cooperation and support of the Morris Planning Commission, Morris City Council, and the entire community, who were all gracious enough to allow SCMC to expand our campus into First Street between Columbia Avenue and Montana Avenue. Many thanks are also due to SCMC’s Board of Directors and the staff who have devoted so much of their time to planning every last detail of this expansion. We had a great experience working with general contractor Carlson-LaVine and their subcontractors to execute this project designed with the architecture firm, Perkins&Will.”
McEvilly has been pleased with how the project has come together and feels the expansion and improvements will definitely enhance SCMC’s mission of providing “patient-centered care” to the community.
“It is very fulfilling to finally be seeing the fruits of our labor on this major building project,” she said. “Of course there are always going to be minor things we might have done differently, but overall we believe the space will do an excellent job meeting the needs of our patients and staff in a comfortable, safe environment. We are particularly happy with the efficient flow between the new Emergency Department and acute care, operating room, radiology, and Urgent Care departments.
“Another goal was to create a peaceful environment and we believe that has been achieved.
“Our new ER is coming together very well and we are so appreciative it could happen,” said Eklund. “It took a lot of research, discussion, meetings and coordination to get where we are today.”
The final stages of the project are being made right now in preparation for its official opening.
“We are excited about what we have designed and we are down to the fine details such as deciding where to put the clocks, the otoscopes, the soap dispensers, etc.,” said Eklund. “Our furniture recently arrived and it’s fun to see it, there are so many fabrics and options. We had to choose so many things utilizing small samples of what it would be like, which is quite challenging.”
Open House
With the long construction period nearing completion, SCMC is anxious to utilize the new space and welcome the community to see it firsthand.
“We will be holding a community-wide Open House on Tuesday, Oct. 29th, from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. with self-guided tours of all the new areas,” said McEvilly. “Staff will be available throughout the spaces to answer questions and refreshments will be served. We have targeted Monday, Nov. 11, to officially open the Columbia Avenue entrance and start seeing patients in the new Emergency Department.”
Stevens Community Medical Center is located at 400 East First Street in Morris. All are encouraged to stop in for the Open House on Oct. 29th. To learn more about SCMC and its services, visit www.scmcinc.org. For appointments, call 320-589-7600.
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