Healthplex opens in grand style

No one was more excited about the grand opening of the new 15,000-square-foot Healthplex than Nola Pawol, the director of home health, hospice and rehabilitation for Plains Regional Medical Center.

“It’s my privilege to get to be the director of the Healthplex,” Pawol told a crowd of nearly 200 people gathered for the grand opening of the hospital’s new facility. “As you know, we were slightly cramped (in the main hospital). Several times, I would go to the administrator and say, ‘I’ve had it.’ That went on for about five years. I guess they got tired of my doing that.”

New hospital administrator Brian Bentley hosted Wednesday’s event that served as a grand opening for the Healthplex, a celebration of the hospital’s 25 years of medical service to the community and a groundbreaking for a new emergency room and upgraded urgent care unit.

“I’m thrilled to be here,” Bentley said. “Where we once had 2,000 square feet to serve patients, now we have 15,000 square feet. It’s the finest facility in the state of New Mexico. We offered a high level of services in the past, but today we’ve moved to a whole new level.”

Dr. Jacob Moberly, Clovis dentist and member of the Plains Regional Medical Center board of directors, called the new Healthplex “a fabulous, fabulous facility.”

“My wife had rehab done in Amarillo after her back surgery, and those facilities are not even comparable to this one,” he said. “This is a state-of-the-art facility.”

Clovis Mayor David Lansford described the grand opening event as “a great day in the city of Clovis.”

“The Clovis healthcare system looks like it has a bright future,” he said.

Dr. Allan Haynes Jr., Clovis urologist and member of both the PRMC board and the Presbyterian Healthcare Services board, said, “It’s a real honor to see this open.”

“It means the people in our community can get the care they need when they need it,” he said. “Presbyterian has made a commitment to this community, and they’ve kept it.”

Haynes said PRMC ultimately will be “the best community healthcare center on the east side of New Mexico.”

“Days like today is why we go through all the hard work,” said Larry Stroup, chairman of the board for PHS. “(There’s) only one reason we’re here ... to improve the health and care of individuals and communities.”

PHS chief executive officer Jim Hinton agreed.

“This event is what’s right in healthcare,” he said. “This board and staff here at Plains Regional Medical Center have focused on what the patient needs are. We’re committed to be a statewide healthcare system. Anytime we can strengthen a community like Clovis, we are strengthening the whole system.”

The new Healthplex will house Home Health Care and hospice offices, nursing offices and private-duty nursing offices.

In terms of rehabilitation services, the new facility provides: physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, orthotics/prosthetics, pain management, stroke support group, employee fitness and senior fitness services, Pawol said.

“It’s really nice, very nice,” she said. “We have over $100,000 worth of new equipment. We also have a therapeutic pool that we can use for post-surgical backs, knees, hips, arthritic patients, post-polio syndrome patients and multiple sclerosis patients. The pool has aqua jets and you can work out against the jets. It’s fully equipped with a lift to help people get in and out.”

The Healthplex is part of an ongoing $7.1 million hospital expansion, that will include an 8,000-square-foot cancer treatment center opening early next year, Bentley said.

The materials management facility is nearing completion and will be receiving materials within 30-60 days, Bentley said.

The Healthplex and the cancer center as well as the materials management warehouse comprise the first phase of the hospital’s five-year, four-phase expansion.

The overall four phases of the expansion will cost $39.8 million, according to hospital officials.