[Scan-DC] New Hospital Opens in Stafford County

[Kenneth Fowler]

>From the Free Lance Star, Fredericksburg,VA

 NEW STAFFORD HOSPITAL OPENS STAFFORD HOSPITAL BY THE NUMBERS
February 28, 2009 12:35 am



Walt Kiwall, president of Stafford Hospital Center, puts out a call
announcing the facility's opening while Stafford firefighter Catherine
Harris looks on. lo0228stafford3.jpg

Stafford Hospital Center medical personnel eat lunch in the
three-story atrium on opening day yesterday. The area's first new
hospital in 110 years has 289 employees.

EMT Sara DeMatteo (left) and nurse Laura Sacra check vitals for Mary
Grey, the first patient at the new hospital.

BY JIM HALL

For 110 years, the Fredericksburg area has been served by a single
hospital. Today there are two.

Stafford Hospital Center opened yesterday morning, and within minutes
the first patient walked through the doors of the emergency room.

Mary Grey, 75, arrived with her husband, Edward, and her son, Joseph.
She was having abdominal pains, she told ER workers.

The family had been outside, watching the opening ceremony. She had
been sick since the night before, Grey said, and Stafford was "a lot
nearer" their Aquia Harbour home than Mary Washington Hospital in
Fredericksburg. Both hospitals are part of MediCorp Health System.

Stafford Hospital Center officials expect many county residents to do
as the Greys did and seek care at the new 100-bed hospital. Within an
hour of opening, three people, including Grey, had been treated in the
ER.

Even before the hospital opened, on Thursday night, a man walked into
the ER with a fishhook through his finger. He was sent to a nearby
urgent-care center. Another early arrival was so ill when he drove up
that a security guard called 911 for him.

By 8 yesterday morning, dozens of hospital workers, county officials
and guests had gathered outside the entrance to cut the ceremonial
ribbon and hear speeches.

Fred Rankin, MediCorp's president and chief executive officer, told
the group, "This is the next step in the long and storied history of
this community."

Soon after, Walt Kiwall, hospital president, climbed into the cab of
an ambulance that was parked outside.

By arrangement, a Stafford County dispatcher set off alert tones and
said: "Attention all fire and rescue personnel. Stand by for a special
announcement from the president of the Stafford Hospital Center."

This was Kiwall's cue, and he spoke into the ambulance's microphone.

"I am pleased to announce that we are now open for patient transports," he said.

The Stafford facility opens with many of the services normally
associated with an acute-care hospital. Yet its debut is also limited.

The hospital will offer full-time medical care, emergency care,
maternity care, imaging, lab work, emergency surgery and an
intensive-care unit.

Four types of doctor will be in the building around the clock: general
hospitalists, obstetrical hospitalists, anesthesiologists and
emergency-room doctors.

Radiologists will be there much of the time. And doctors in the
community will be able to admit sick patients.

But elective surgery and planned births won't be available until April.

"We're going to make sure that everything is running the way it needs
to be running," Kiwall said.

The hospital opened one patient floor yesterday: the second floor,
with 40 beds. Staff has been hired to open another 10 beds if needed.

The remaining 50 beds on the third and fourth floors will open later.

Hospital officials chose to open on a Friday because it is not as busy
as other days. A Friday opening gives workers time to work out the
glitches before Monday and Tuesday, the busy days, Kiwall said.

In recent weeks, inspectors from at least 10 local, state, federal and
private agencies have walked through the building to make sure it is
ready.

One of the most important of those inspections was a multi-day review
by the Virginia Department of Health, which issued a license last
week.

Inspectors also checked the hospital's laboratory, pharmacy,
cafeteria, generator, wetlands and nuclear material.

Representatives of the Joint Commission, the Chicago-based
organization that accredits the nation's hospitals, visited this week
and will return for an unannounced second inspection after opening.

Several, but not all, of the major insurance plans, including
Medicare, Medicaid and Anthem, have agreed to include the Stafford
hospital in their networks.

Kiwall said it eventually will be in the same insurance networks as
Mary Washington.

The hospital also is expected to eventually relieve Mary Washington of
some of its patient load. Kiwall said he is looking for ER visits and
admissions at Mary Washington to drop 10 percent.

-- 
Kenneth Fowler
KD4IIW/WQGQ466
AIM: KD4IIW
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