Excelsior Springs Hospital, Excelsior Springs, MO

Excelsior Springs Hospital opens doors to new addition

CEO Sally Nance addressed a large crowd of residents, employees and Hospital supporters during the Outpatient Clinic dedication and open house.

"For the six months ending March 31, 2009 we have had many successes and challenges," said Sally Nance, Hospital CEO during the Outpatient Clinic dedication, held Sunday, May 3. "Our most important accomplishment is the completion of our outpatient and wellness clinic. Seeing this long-term goal become a reality is extremely rewarding and one our whole community can be proud of."

Of its 105-year history, the Hospital has been at its present location for over 30 years. Prior to the Outpatient Clinic expansion there have been three other major expansions: the Convalescent Center in 1982, the Residential Care Center in 1996, and the Independent Living Unit in 2000.

Tours of the new addition began in the expansive lobby.

"These wonderful services are part of why we are proud of our continuum of care and with this expansion we are proud to say 'You should see us now,' " Nance said. "It is our sincere objective to make a positive difference in the lives of oru patients. We believe this project and related programs will indeed help us make that difference."

The Need:
Excelsior Springs Hospital's outpatient clinics began over 20 years ago with the goal of bringing much-needed specialists to Excelsior Springs and the Hospital's rural service area. The clinics had outgrown the space available. The rehabilitation services volume has tripled over the last few years and the area available to provide these services was no longer adequate. The emergency room has seen a 40-percent increase in visits. In recent years, the hospital's ability to do effective community outreach has been adversely affected with the lack of space to provide programs.

The Solution:
The new addition consists of 28,000 square feet of new space -- bringing the total campus to over 150,000 square feet. The Hospital has tripled the size of its emergency and rehabilitation departments, provided additional space for the clinics and GI lab, community room, pharmacy, human resources, administrative and medical staff offices. There is also a new renovated laboratory, admitting area, lobby, business office, gift shop and over 100 much-needed parking spaces.

A Look Toward the Future:

While the recent addition of the outpatient and wellness clinic attached to E.S. Hospital has set it at the forefront of rural hospitals, more changes are in store for the coming year. Another addition is underway that will attach to the Radiology department and will house a newly purchased Toshiba Vantage magnet/MRI machine.

The magnet/MRI machine will offer patients the opportunity to undergo significantly more comfortable exams and enables the medical staff to capture more accurate images for diagnosis. The new Radiology department addition will open July 2009.

The expanded emergency room, left, features private rooms for patients. The rehabilitation department, right, is located on the second floor, along with a new community room has space for up to 182 people, below.