Mt. Vernon, Illinois – Sunday, January 27th , the new Good Samaritan Regional Health Center will officially open its doors and begin the transfer of patients from its existing facility to the new Good Samaritan Regional Health Center.
“We’ve spent over a year planning and practicing for this day,” said Mike Warren, Good Samaritan Regional Health Center President, “with the knowledge of our local team and EMS along with industry experts with years of experience in guiding hospitals through patient moves like this, we’ve worked hard to ensure this transition is as seamless and as safe as possible.”
Slated to begin at 7 a.m. on January 27th, the entire patient transition is projected to be complete within 7 hours based upon the estimated number of patients receiving care in the current facility. Collaboration with area emergency management services will provide the 18 ambulances needed to move patients.
“Patients will be moved in an ambulance that is specifically equipped for their needs, along with a dedicated transport nurse and care team that will stay with them until they are settled into their new all-private patient room,” said Judy Haynes, Good Samaritan patient move coordinator.
Emergency services will begin being provided at the new Good Samaritan Regional Health Center, just off of Veterans Memorial Drive, at 7 a.m. on Sunday, January 27th.
During the move, hospital visitors will be limited to two per patient on Sunday, January 27th. Normal visiting hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. will resume on Monday, January 28th.
“It’s amazing the support received for this project - over 10,000 people from all over Southern Illinois visited our new campus during our open houses in early January and now as we open the doors, we’re finally able to give the Region what it so deserves, a state-of-the-art health care facility,” said Warren.
The new Good Samaritan Regional Health Center is located just off Veterans Memorial Drive, adjacent to the new interchange for I-57 and I-64. The five-floor hospital holds 134 beds, 8 observation beds, all-private rooms and numerous patient safety features. The hospital also includes greatly expanded Emergency Care services, an all-new Women’s Center and Procedure Center. Recent community open houses, which invited local residents to get “behind –the-scenes” access to the new facility, welcomed over 10,000 people.
Announced in 2009, the new Good Samaritan Regional Health Center was built to replace the existing hospital, which has served the Mt. Vernon community since 1952. The new $237 million facility broke ground in April 2010 and was built by McCarthy Building Companies of St. Louis, Lipps Construction of Mt. Vernon, and Shores Builders of Centralia.
The existing Good Samaritan campus on North 12th Street in Mt. Vernon is being sold to Shores Builders of Centralia. It will be demolished and returned to green-lots for potential development.