News

Hospital Plans Expansion
February 22, 2008

Athol Memorial Hospital is in the early phases of planning the building of a new Emergency Services Department, relocating and renovating outpatient services and renovating the front entrance of the hospital. The Board of Trustees, at their last meeting, voted to enter in an agreement with architects Margo Jones and Steve Drakulich, of Greenfield, to develop plans for the project. The hospital’s building committee, comprised of select trustee members, hospital administration representatives and physicians from the medical staff, has been meeting with architects and reviewing proposals during the past year. Trustee members include James Meehan, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Robin Brooks, Lawrence Estelle, Jr. and Laurey Kenerson,

The Emergency Department expansion is based on the hospital’s need for increasing capacity and improving patient access and privacy. The current facility, part of the hospital’s circa 1965 building addition, more than tripled the original (circa 1950) emergency treatment area. When the hospital opened its doors in 1950 the Emergency Department consisted of only one room. Today the Emergency Department is one of the hospital’s busiest departments and ER visits have surged in recent years, from 9,088 in FY 2003 to 10,886 in FY 2007.

Athol Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department offers highly competent staff and state-of-the-art technology, housed in a less than optimum environment for patient privacy and comfort. The new addition, located adjacent to the northeast corner of the hospital, will provide the necessary space requirements to meet contemporary Emergency Department building standards and set a solid foundation to meeting the community’s future healthcare needs.

The proposed 7,280 square foot Emergency Department expansion includes dedicated waiting and registration areas and separate entrances for ambulance and ambulatory patients and will increase private treatment areas to ten (10). Planned relocations and renovations of expanded outpatient services include changes to Central Registration, Radiology, Laboratory and Medical Records. Improvements to the front entrance of the Hospital include a weatherproof portico, ground level accessibility, and a new elevator.

The Athol Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees meets with the architects on April 28, 2008 for ongoing project and budget approvals. Funding sources are currently being explored.