Interior Steel in Place, and Exterior Finishing in Progress on DCH Outpatient Clinic Expansion

Over the last few months, construction on the new DCH Outpatient Clinic has progressed on schedule, and soon the work on the exterior of the building will be completed. As the exterior work begins to wind down, work on the interior of the building has already begun.

Inside the building, structural steel is in place, and provides a tangible representation of the various hallways, exams rooms, offices, nurse stations, and waiting areas throughout the new space. As the interior takes shape, the selection of furniture, paint colors, flooring, and light fixtures is also in progress. As we look at a multitude of options for these items, our goal for the building is to provide a comforting, welcoming space for our patients, their loved ones, and our community. When you visit our facility, we want to you feel at ease, and comfortable in your surroundings.

In the new waiting area, multiple seating options will be available. When you visit, you’ll be able to choose from traditional chairs, benches, pub height chairs, and even a booth. We hope the various types of seating will allow patients, visitors, and those waiting for a loved one during a longer procedure to find comfort in the different options.

When checking in for an appointment, our new check in desk will allow for more privacy as you provide information we may need for your appointment. The new check in desk will have chairs for you to sit in while you fill out the necessary paperwork so you can feel comfortable during every part of your visit. Multiple check in windows will help you get checked in faster, and will allow you to have privacy if you need to ask any questions of our staff.

As you move on to the next step in your appointment and meet with your provider, our exam rooms will extend the same comfort as our lobby. Each exam room will include two chairs, and an exam table if your provider uses one. If your provider doesn’t typically use an exam table, you may have a room without one, which will allow for more space in the room.

After you finish your appointment, you will have one last trip through our lobby as you check out and continue on with the rest of your day. A restroom will be accessible directly off the lobby to ensure easy access to those facilities when you need them.

Our primary goal with this new building is to provide access to the specialists you need, who provide the care you deserve. As we continue to evolve to meet that goal, there is another exciting update coming to Decatur County Hospital while the new building is being completed. In late September 2022, our radiology department will be installing an upgraded CT scanner.

As we continue to see more cases of advanced health conditions, and as we continue to add specialty providers to help with those conditions, many of them need advanced imaging to ensure they are partnering with you to develop the best treatment plan possible. With the installation of this new scanner, our specialists will have on-site access to this advanced imaging.

The new CT machine has a multitude of benefits including an increase from our current 32-slice to-128 slice to provide clearer images with a higher resolution, better recognition of metal artifacts in the body, faster set up to allow faster scans, customized scan settings for complex cardiac procedures, specialized stroke assessment, and expanded reporting to provide more information to our specialists. And perhaps the benefit that means the most to our patients is the ability of our radiology techs to manage the majority of the scanning process directly from consoles located on the machine. This means that our techs will be with you for more time during your scan, ensuring you are as comfortable as possible.

This new scanner is on the cutting edge of CT technology, and will allow our providers to request higher levels of scans to ensure you get the best treatment possible. This machine is one of the most advanced scanners in our region, and its availability close to home will save you time and travel stress.

Decatur County Hospital is a hidden gem within our rural region. Every addition, change, or new service is launched with the patient in mind. This new DCH Outpatient Clinic and CT scanner are no different. Slated for opening in November 2022, this new facility will greatly increase access to health care for residents of our area, and will ensure that quality health care is available in Decatur County for a long time to come.

During construction, the existing DCH Outpatient Clinic will continue to operate as usual. Be sure to subscribe to your local newspaper, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date on our progress.

All of the staff, providers, and trustees look forward to continuing to serve you with compassionate care throughout this transition, and we are excited to continue to offer big city services with our hometown care in a brand new facility.