RGH expansion means growth in services

Expansion of Roosevelt General Hospital means faster service, more jobs and an increase in the amount of patients seen daily, according to RGH officials.

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

Andrew Moyer, left, and Lane Draper with Mark Carpenter Plumbing dig a plumbing line Wednesday for the staff bathroom on the clinic side of RGH's expansion.

The near $2.1 million renovations will connect the RGH Clinic to RGH through two large corridors, allowing for patients and their families to move about the two facilities with ease, streamlining a patient's access to services.

The renovations, which are expected to be complete mid-September, will accommodate more providers.

The RGH clinic has also extended their hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday.

"Our goal is to provide the best patient experience and hope to achieve this by improving the facility and expanding our practice," said Tina Hill, RGH Clinic administrator.

In addition to easy access between the clinic and the hospital, the new design is expected to relieve overcrowding, housing new separate rooms for ultrasound, bone density and mammography, according to RGH CEO Larry Leaming. He mentioned efficiency benefits as well.

"The expansion brings the business office function of the clinic to the front lobby avoiding the need for patients to walk through the clinic to ask questions about their bill," Leaming said. "A new hallway will connect the clinic with direct access to radiology, the emergency department, and the hospital inpatient unit. Patients' privacy will be improved by not having to transport patients between these areas through public hallways."

With the additions being made, the expansion of RGH calls for more providers.

RGH Chief Financial Officer Eva Stevens said they project the recruitment of three additional providers within the next three to five years, which would create at least 12 full-time positions.

"The addition of three providers would immediately create six full-time employed positions for the providers and their medical assistants," Stevens said. "Eventually it would also add three full-time positions for the hospital within auxiliary service departments."

Renovation plans for the clinic include a drawing station for lab within the clinic itself that will include one additional full-time lab phlebotomist position, according to Stevens.

The RGH Clinic extended hours also requires additional staff of a medical assistant and a patient service representative.

And with more positions and extended hours, RGH plans to see a boost in the amount of patients they serve.

"Though our patient flow fluctuates depending upon the season, we are currently seeing between 80 to 150 patients daily," Hill said. "The extended hours will allow us to see an additional 35 to 40 patients daily. As we continue to add additional providers, our patient load will continue to increase as Roosevelt County remains undeserved, specifically with primary care providers."

Leaming said they extended the clinic's hours as a response to hundreds of requests they received from patients.

"People don't like to have to take time off from work and other responsibilities to see a provider," Leaming said. "The Emergency Department is about your only option for care after 5 p.m. Extended clinic hours provides a much lower cost option for care and can save significant dollars for our patients."

Leaming continued, "Many people have a small ($20-25) clinic visit co-pay while their emergency room co-pay may be $500 or more."

Stevens said RGH is paying for more half of the costs of this expansion. Two revolving economic development loans granted through the Roosevelt County Electric Cooperative and the Roosevelt County Rural Telephone Cooperative will also be used for this project.