By Reid Wright

Journal Staff Writer

Southwest Memorial Hospital administration is looking into the feasibility of building a new facility or overhauling the existing building, Kent Helwig, chief executive officer announced last week.

The current facility limits efficiency, technological infrastructure and possibility for expansion or remodel, Helwig said. Older parts of the building were built with asbestos, which can become more harmful to health when stirred up by demolition or construction.

“It really limits the types of renovations that we can do,” Helwig said. “So we don't want to go tearing down walls and putting new things up because asbestos abatement becomes really cost prohibitive. There's just a bunch of efficiencies that can't be gained in the current space.”

As a result, the administration is conducting a feasibility study of a new facility, which is expected to result in a working conceptual design in the coming months.

“We're looking at the feasibility of this right now,” Helwig said. “That feasibility actually ends up with an actual executable plan. But what we really want to do, is gather all the information we can so that the board has enough information to sit down and make a well informed decision.”

The hospital hopes to be able to self-fund a new facility, but is studying the possibility of bonds from private lenders. Neither taxpayers nor patients will be asked for additional money to fund a new facility, Helwig said.

“Any time you make a major purchase, as a corporation, you never really like adding a large level of debt onto your books,” he said. “But sometimes it's what you need to do to improve things and continue going forward.”

Although not many new services are expected to be offered with a new building, existing services are expected to expand. Helwig hopes this expansion will bring in additional revenues.

While an overhaul of the existing building is being considered as an option, he said an entirely new facility would allow for more opportunities for energy efficiency, technological infrastructure (such as computer networks) as well as better movement flow for employees, patients and equipment.

“Staff have to walk longer distances to get things that should really be at your arms reach,” Helwig said. “There's not computers in every room. Those little limitations don't really make the staff as effective as they can be... The whole goal would be to set it up with patients and staff to where they're at the bedside taking care of patients and not having to go get something in another department or not having to go somewhere else to document information on the computer.”

If a new hospital were built, the decision to demolish the existing building would be up to the Montezuma County Hospital District, which owns the facility.

With or without a new facility, hospital administration are looking into energy efficiency upgrades and the possibility of utilizing solar energy.

“Our goal is to make it as absolutely energy efficient and self-sustaining as we can,” he said.

Physicians and hospital staff are being consulted in the facility process, Helwig said, and there will be opportunities for public feedback in the future.

An expansion on the northern end of the existing hospital was conducted in 2004.

“Right now is a really good time to try and borrow money for capitol improvements on hospitals,” he said. “Lending rates are low and there are lots of groups of investors who are looking for places and good projects to invest their money in. To do that. And we want to take the opportunity to do that. And also, construction prices are down right now. So we want to take advantage of that.”

Reach Reid Wright at reidw@cortezjournal.com