The Brattleboro Memorial Hospital building project continues to take shape. Work on the new Outpatient Building is progressing well despite the snow and cold. Outside cladding will begin to be installed this month. Renovation of the Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU) started January 2nd.
The first phase of the ACU renovation is the creation of a new PACU, a new larger patient/family waiting area, and a new family consultation room.
Construction of this first phase is expected to take three months; January through March.
The hospital is taking maximum precautions to control dust from the renovation, so partitions have been put in place in the hallways surrounding the old ACU waiting room. Though this will make for an inconvenience, it is essential to keep the construction activities separate from the usual hospital happenings. As always, be assured that patient safety is our chief concern.
BMH is also working to minimize the auditory impact on nearby patient care areas as much as possible. Volunteers are assigned to the ACU to help families negotiate the temporary relocation of the ACU waiting room. There are also extra transportation volunteers available to help oncology patients get to the temporary Oncology location in Suite 204 of the Medical Office Building,
The BMH Journey to Excellence program has created initiatives to help make this time more comfortable for our patients and their families. As a small token families are being offered a coupon valid for coffee/tea and a pastry in either the Maple View Café or the Auxiliary Coffee Shop.
The head of BMH Plant Engineering and the Construction Superintendent are meeting each week with the nurse leaders from the impacted areas. This will ensure good communications and help minimize the impact of construction.
We thank our patients and other members of the community for bearing with us during this phase, and apologize for any inconvenience it may cause. If you have any questions relating to Phase I of the ACU renovation, please contact Rob Prohaska (257-8340) or Prudence MacKinney (257-8367).