This week Northern Inyo Healthcare District fully re-opened its three operating suites and Post-Acute Care Unit following the completion of a flooring replacement project that finished about one month early.
“I am delighted to report to the community that our surgery suites have enhanced, brand new flooring,” says NIHD Chief Executive Officer Kelli Davis. “This project has been a long-time coming. Our operating rooms are the core of our hospital and often the site of life-saving surgeries. These areas, more than any other, require materials to withstand heavy use and at the same time guarantee the highest level of sterilization possible. I feel we’ve improved not just patient safety, and but staff safety as well.”
The project began Jan. 1 and was anticipated to run through mid-April. Once the flooring vendor’s team began working with the NIHD maintenance and surgery teams, it became apparent things would move much quicker than anticipated.
“Anyone who has completed project like this knows you plan for the best, expect the worst, and be ready for surprises,” Davis says. “Our team really brought its best to this project, everything from the planning to executing equipment moves, plus re-installing the sensitive equipment and sterilizing the rooms for use. The pleasant surprise was the almost 30-day reduction in our timeline, which allows our surgeons and support teams to get back to doing what they do best – enhancing the lives of area residents.”
In all, McCrory’s Flooring of San Jose replaced more than 10,500 square feet of flooring. NIHD conducts between 1,200 and 1,400 surgical cases per year, most conducted on an outpatient basis. NIHD remains the only hospital between Carson City and Lancaster to offer minimally-invasive robot-assisted surgery with its da Vinci Surgical System.
Among the surgery services offered at NIHD are orthopedic, ophthalmology, urology, gynecologic, colorectal, breast, hand, and general surgery. NIHD works with more than a dozen surgeons in these specialty areas, as well as a robust surgical nursing team, anesthesiologists, sterile processing technicians, and specially training Environmental Service team members.
About Northern Inyo Healthcare District: Founded in 1946, Northern Inyo Healthcare District features a 25-bed critical access hospital, a 24-hour emergency department, a primary care rural health clinic, a diagnostic imaging center, and clinics specializing in women’s health, orthopedics, internal medicine, pediatrics and allergies, general surgery, colorectal surgery, breast cancer surgery and urology. Continually striving to improve the health outcomes of those who rely on its services, Northern Inyo Healthcare District aims to improve our communities one life at a time. One team, one goal, your health.
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Is this free advertising under the guise of “press release”? Sounds like it came from the marketing department…. A hospital with good medical and nursing care doesn’t need a press release about its new floors…
Maybe this is a terrible point of view, but who cares about new floors. I’m not running to NIH to get surgery because they got new floors. I would like to hear more about how NIH intends on retaining nurses . What are they doing to address staff shortages and burnout. What are they doing to keep nurses from taking travel assignments or going to Mammoth? What are they doing to increase revenue. Because the bottom line is the new floors won’t matter if there isn’t staff to provide services
In speaking with NIHD, due to safety issues with the existing flooring in these areas, the flooring was a necessary replacement. During the replacement period only one surgery area was available for use at a time. Now all three are back in use, thus more revenue. To express your other concerns, public comment is available at the monthly NIHD Board meetings.
I think it’s highly inappropriate for you to be commenting on anything NIHD. Obviously your opinion is biased and shame on Sierra Wave for letting her do so in her role with admin powers on this website. Who’s moderating her.
I am very aware of the issues with the floor. I just don’t think this merits a press release .
It was just something that needed to be addressed. This wasnt an enhancement it was a repair. This isn’t impacting patient care. The staff worked hard to make sure that things ran smoothly and needed surgeries still happened. Some gave up vacation time because they were preparing for this repair, but we thank the contractor . The the OR is understaffed and losing nurses to Mammoth because they make $15 to 20 more an hour. My experience has been with the board of they aren’t really concerned with these staffing issues and pretty much rubber stamp everything Administration wants. When admin paints a rosey picture they believe every word and dont ask workers. They seem to be uninterested in these staffing issues or the burnout of so many of the nurses. Then because the board didn’t demand accountability they are paying severance packages to failed administrators.
That’s great that they fixed the floor. They can now open up 3 rooms but if there isn’t enough staff or providers to do those procedures it puts a bigger burden on the staff that is there who have already worked extra to keep the operating room open.
I don’t care about the floors, but I care that the hospital loses business to Mammoth because they spend energy on press about floors instead of the great work the staff does or instead of focusing on the services that are provided.
I already go elsewhere for my care, not because of the floor but because other facilities cost less, take less time, and are very competent as well.
Concerned
Every business or building,especially hospital operating rooms eventually need improvements,don’t you think ?
Can’t be ignoring that and only be thinking about extra or saved “revenue “….
Of course they should fix the floors. That’s not the issue. The issue here is that the hospital has a PR problem along with a nursing shortage. There isn’t a robust nursing crew. There are some great nurses but they are severely understaffed. Finishing this project doesn’t change much in operations and as someone who could make a choice of where to have surgery it doesn’t convince me that NIH is a better hospital. (eventhough they have some great surgeons). The hospital needs to stop sending press releases about flowers and floors and really market this hospital to the community. This article isn’t going to bring in more customers and that was my point. They need to do more to market the services they have so that people utilize surgery services more often. They also need to retain and recruit staff so that they can fully utilize the room and the equipment and that is there.
SW doesn’t actually do much original reporting any more. Their primary content is press releases. So you have to direct your questions to the agency that issued the press release.