Memorial Hospital settling in as for-profit

“We got a first pass at plans last week,” Memorial Hospital President and CEO Sally Dixon said at the end of April about the replacement hospital that Community promised to build on the site of a former golf course near Route 30.

Memorial acquired the West Manchester Township site some time ago and had been working toward the start of construction before becoming part of Community, Dixon said. But that process “had not actually gotten to the point of creating a detailed plan.”

The current process is still in preliminary stages, Dixon said; for instance, how many rooms it will have “is still up in the air.” Previous Business Journal articles indicated that the facility was estimated at 150 beds, an increase over Memorial’s current 100, but “now that we’re looking for all private rooms for a new facility, that number will probably be adjusted down,” she said.

Regardless of the final number, Dixon said, the new facility will be designed to be expandable.

Also yet to be determined is exactly what the current hospital will be used for once the new facility is completed. However, Dixon said, the plans are for all inpatient beds to be at the new site.

Construction is expected to start in a little more than a year and, depending on the weather, take about two years to complete, Dixon said. Standard approval processes are happening, “but we don’t see any big stumbling blocks at this point.”

Meanwhile, Dixon said, lots of other changes not necessarily visible to the public have been happening in the health system as it begins to feel the effects of being in a larger organization.

“We have access to additional resources through Community, whether through best practices or additional development,” Dixon said.

For example, in March, Community formed a strategic alliance with Cleveland Clinic. A news release said Community-affiliated hospitals will advance their clinical programs through access to Cleveland’s expertise in medical specialties, tertiary services and innovative approaches to patient care, while Cleveland will extend its reach and quality initiatives into regions served by Community.

Memorial also is working on other initiatives and partnerships. Earlier this year, it announced a partnership with Lehigh Valley Health Network Regional Burn Center, the largest and most-experienced burn center in Pennsylvania, to offer TeleBurn service, in which physicians here can consult specialists there.