Ellsworth County Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Jim Kirkbride gave a brief update to the public July 25 on upcoming projects and the latest expansion during a “Chat With the CEO” in the administration building’s meeting room.

“We have some exciting things going on at ECMC and this is the start of what we hope is quite a few things we roll out,” Kirkbride said.

During the recent Ellsworth County 4-H Fair, the hospital introduced a new branding promotion for farmers and ranchers called “Field Ready.”

The hospital staff put together a unique first aid kit for farmers and ranchers consisting of items designed to treat minor injuries which often occur on the farm or ranch. The kits included a tourniquet, bandages, eye wash and cards containing information on how to treat snake bites, poisoning and sunstroke, all inside a rugged Army green metal ammo can.

“The idea is that the farmer/rancher would have a field-ready first aid kit they could throw in their tractor which could take a beating,” Kirkbride said.

In addition, he said the hospital is working on introducing some mental and behavioral health programs in September and October, specifically designed to help the farming/ranching community.

“We’re very proud to get to a point to where we can physically construct something and roll out more programs,” he said.

In addition to new flooring, signage, furniture and a common paint scheme at the hospital and its four rural health clinics, Kirkbride said the hospital has a new upgraded MRI system for mammography inside the hospital, which is the newest fixed unit in this area. The MRI is less intimidating, quieter and can offer the advanced imaging necessary not only for mammography, but for cardiac, vascular and prostate diagnostics as well.

Kirkbride said ECMC is also starting to encourage the public to use its patient portal. He noted that very soon, telemedicine will be available through the patient portal.

Kirkbride then focused on the featured item of the “Chat With the CEO” program — the transformation of the hospital’s administration building into a new rehabilitation department.

“When I got here, I kind of knew where I wanted to be four, five and six years from now, and it was four years last Friday — that was my anniversary,” he said.

Kirkbride said the administration building is a gem.

“In my career, I’ve never gone to a hospital that had enough space,” he said. “We’ve got a boatload of space. We have more space that we know what to do it, so we have an opportunity.”

That opportunity, according to Kirkbride, starts by taking a look at all of the lower-end programs the hospital offers and move some of those into the administration building, which will free up space for higher-end specialty services to be introduced to ECMC.

“I think we would benefit from having surgery here at the hospital,” Kirkbride said, stressing no definite decision on that service has been made yet.

“I still don’t know if we can do it or should do it,” he added.

Kirkbride said the hospital had a company examine all data relevant to ECMC — its providers, the services they now provide and where their patients are being sent now for their surgical needs.

“We also know what surgeries we would do here,” he said.

After examining everything, that company came back and said financially, ECMC can support surgery.

Kirkbride then turned back to his discussion of the transformation of the hospital’s administration building into the new Health and Wellness Center.

Where the employee entrance to the administration building is now, that will be the new entrance into the new Health and Wellness Center.

“We’re going to relocate some personnel and services to this building to support the health and wellness division,” he said.

The new rehabilitation department will be located in the Health and Wellness Center.

A central hallway will lead patients not only to the rehab department, but to other, yet-to-bedetermined services as well.

Kirkbride described it as a great space with great expandability.

“Right now, we’ve got a lot of building space that is fairly cheap to get into,” he said.

Kirkbride said four services at ECMC have exploded over the last four years, including wound care, pain management, infusion, scopes and specialty care.

Kirkbride said three physicians can be accommodated in the new space, each with three exam rooms at once.

“We obviously want to keep the higher-end procedures here in Ellsworth, because they are kind of the anchor to most of our outpatient services,” he said. “That is the reason why we need more room.”

Kirkbride said according to a community health needs assessment conducted shortly after his arrival at ECMC, those surveyed made it clear they wanted a wellness center that was accessible to them. Given this, Kirkbride made it clear ECMC is not competing with a gym.

“That’s not our goal,” he said. “We don’t want to be a gym. So if you have a pain, you’re elderly, you’ve got a handicap or you just would rather work out with a nurse or a therapist next to you, we’re going to go after that patient, so you can safely and comfortably feel like you can do your work, wellness, in our facility. We’re not competing with the guys who want to put up 400 pounds; we’re happy that you can walk for 30 minutes.”

Also according to the community health needs assessment, Kirkbride said it was clear the people of Ellsworth want a local surgery option.

“So, we’ve kind of been working on seeing if that is possible ever since,” he said.

Kirkbride said Ellsworth is blessed to have a 25-year-old hospital that is in amazing shape for its age, which has been strategically upgraded along the way. He noted the planned upgrades are intended to add another 25 years to the ECMC structure.

Within the Health and Wellness Center, the 7,000 square foot rehabilitation department will be the largest department. Kirkbride said ECMC is adding hydrotherapy to the rehab department. The hydro system is a glass enclosure. The therapist and patient go into the enclosure, which is then filled with water at whatever level is needed. The needed exercises are done by the patient, assisted by the therapist. The water is then evacuated from the enclosure, the patient and the therapist exit the enclosure and the system is cleaned.

Kirkbride said the hydro system is designed for quick turnaround in a hospital setting. Private dressing rooms, restrooms and showers will be available.

Occupational therapy and speech, which are now in the main hospital, will be moved to the health and wellness building to add more usable space inside ECMC.

The total cost of the health and wellness building project is $2.2 million, with an additional $150,000 for new equipment.

Kirkbride said a coalition has been put together to fund the project. He promised more on that coalition will be announced at a future date.