Construction projects are bringing good things to Asante Ashland Community Hospital

You may have noticed some recent construction on campus, as crews work to give parts of the hospital a facelift. Asante has begun a multiphase project to bring the pharmacy area, conference rooms and Med/Surg 1 up to the standards that have made Asante a 15 Top Health System and AACH a nationally recognized community hospital.

The first phase of these improvements included a remodel of the pharmacy, which was completed two weeks ago. The 20-year-old carpet in the pharmacy and hallway outside has been replaced with a new Nora rubber floor, which requires less maintenance and is easier to clean. Crews also installed new medicine racks, which improved storage and workflows. Two new computer work stations offer greater efficiency for our pharmacy staff.

Next, both conference rooms by administration are being refreshed with new technology and design to be consistent with Asante’s other hospital meeting spaces. The rooms can still be divided into two rooms or converted to one large space, but will have new floors, ceilings, walls and cabinets. The rooms will have state-of-the-art media equipment with a projector, screen, speakers, camera and monitors.

Electrical cords no longer will snake underfoot, but instead will be connected to a cable box in the center of the room. A switch hub will serve as a command center for all electronics. This project is expected to be completed within the next two weeks.

The largest improvement project — upgrading Med/Surg 1 to meet modern hospital standards — begins later this summer. This includes:

• New walls, floors and ceilings in all patient rooms
• Updating the air handling unit
• Adding new medical gas lines to the rooms
• Converting eight patient rooms to negative-pressure isolation rooms for patients with a highly infectious disease, such as COVID-19. This is funded through an ICAR grant.

The upgrades are the latest improvements at AACH, which over the past few years has gotten new wayfinding signage, break room updates, a remodeled Family Birth Center, a new MRI and a new chapel. All of these projects have two goals in mind: to help our staff deliver the best care possible, and to give Asante patients a seamless experience wherever they receive care.

As I begin this new role at AACH, I’m excited to be involved in these rejuvenations — and to work with the great people at Asante Ashland Community Hospital.