Gunpowder Chronicle posted on July 30, 2008 4:08 PM | Rating:
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Yesterday was a great day. Old friends and new buildings were the order of they day.
First, I got to see my old friend from high school, Carolann Jacobs, who flew in from her home in Texas to visit her mom in Salisbury. Originally, we were going to just meet for lunch, but I thought "Why not drive her down to the 'Bury and grab lunch on the way?"
We had a great time. It was wonderful to see someone I hadn't seen in 19 years. Carolann looked great, and we were able to swap good stories and remember the "glory days". It's hard to believe that our 20th high school reunion is next year. (By the way, has anyone heard anything about the Parkside Class of 89 reunion?)
Then, I slipped over to Peninsula Regional to see my dad, who treated me to a personalized tour of the new Layfield Tower, the Cancer Center, and the Heart Center. I was blown away. This is probably the "capstone" project in my dad's long career in healthcare, and he is going out with a bang.
The entire Eastern Shore should be immensely proud of the new construction at PRMC. The addition of the Layfield Tower, the Cancer Center, and the Heart Center bring an entirely new level of care to the Delmarva Peninsula unmatched by any other healthcare organization. And for those of you who think you can get better care on the other side of the bay, let me tell you from personal experience you need to rethink that position.
The Layfield Tower itself uses the best healthcare design principles in the market today, including the move away from "semi-private" rooms (which helps with both HIPPA issues AND infection control -- two major issues confront hospitals), cutting edge patient management systems, sustainable construction and materials, and energy management. And the design principles -- from flow and layout to window treatments to colors and paint -- are an abrupt departure from your traditional "hospital sterile" look and feel. The Hallowell Conference Center is state of the art and uses "smart room" technology, giving health care professionals, clinicians, providers, and staff members the ability to to participate in training, conferences, and expositions right on campus.
The new ER/Trauma Center which opened earlier this summer on the ground floor of the tower is an evolutionary leap forward in treating emergent care patients. More spacious -- and more capable -- the new ER allows PRMC to treat more patients in a 24 hour cycle. As the main emergency room for the lower Eastern Shore and the Eastern Shore of Virginia, the ambulance bay -- now separate from the main entrance -- can handle up to eight ambulances at a time.
The community served by Peninsula Regional and that supports Peninsula Regional should be very proud of the work being done for them. I know I am very proud of what my Dad has been doing for the last four years bringing this vision to reality.