What a wonderful time to share our great news! Congratulations Dan Kelly (St. Mary's Hospital Administrator) and your team! This is a dream that has come to fruition because of your Vision, Tenacity, and just plain Hard Work. We are proud you call Nebraska City home! Check out the Press Release below:
St. Mary's Community Hospital
to Build New Facility
Project will be Biggest
in Nebraska City History
NEBRASKA CITY, NEB. - St. Mary's Community Hospital announced Tuesday it will build a new 100,000 square foot hospital that will bring together hospital services with Nebraska City Medical Clinic and outpatient care on one campus. The design of the new medical campus will meet the community's needs for medical facilities and will provide a superior patient experience.
Scott VanderVeen, chair of St. Mary's Board of Directors, said "this project is exciting news for Nebraska City, southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa. It enhances our ability to deliver quality medical care in the Nebraska City area and solidifies our organization as a leading health care provider in the region."
VanderVeen continued, "This project will have a great economic development effect and be a community asset. This is a project that the community will celebrate and can be proud of." St. Mary's plans to invest $47 million in the new medical complex, making it the largest project in Nebraska City history. The hospital will reach out to the community for support and input into the development.
"This project is the result of some wonderful partnerships with local medical providers, local donors, local government, our national affiliation with Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and our statewide affiliation with the other CHI organizations in Nebraska," VanderVeen said.
Dan Kelly, president and CEO of St. Mary's, said the new hospital has been designed to include two operating rooms and 18 inpatient beds, including two Labor/Delivery/Recovery/Postpartum rooms. More than 100 babies are born at St. Mary's each year, and Kelly believes that number will increase after the new hospital opens. The hospital has also designated 3,500 square feet for a community senior center. "St. Mary's will care for people of all ages, all along the continuum of care," Kelly said.
Jonathan Stelling, MD, chief medical officer for St. Mary's Community Hospital, added that "the proposed new facility will allow the hospital staff and physicians to move back and forth between multiple departments more effectively then they can in the current hospital. Additionally, the patients and families will have access to a state-of-the-art facility with state-of-the-art technology. We have always had high quality personnel and now we will have a facility to match."
"Connecting Nebraska City Medical Clinic with the hospital creates an opportunity for us to provide much more specialty care in our local community, so patients won't have to travel to see a specialist," Kelly said. "It connects our hometown physicians with specialists, all centered around an excellent patient experience."
Kelly said the hospital is currently negotiating to purchase land for the new hospital near the junction of Highway 2 and Highway 75. "We've been in our current location since 1927. The hospital is outdated, making inefficiencies in patient care. Building a new facility allows us to create a hospital that is easier to navigate, to design rooms that are more comfortable for patients, and to update our emergency room and operating rooms. The new hospital will provide significantly more convenience for patients and physicians."
"The medical staff and the hospital administration are excited about the opportunity to develop a new facility for the residents of Nebraska City and the surrounding area," Stelling said. "We plan to be leaders in the development of patient services and in the integration of total healthcare."
Stelling said locating the primary care physician clinic near specialty clinics, outpatient care and inpatient care will help keep costs down for patients. It also prepares the hospital to provide the care community members will need well into the future. Stelling said, "Experts project up to 30 percent growth in outpatient care in most service lines and therefore we want to accommodate these changes in a high-quality manner.
"This new hospital and clinic complex will aid us in expanding our current service lines and position us to add new ones."
Following a six-month process to finalize the design, the hospital is expected to break ground next spring with completion 18 months following. Earl Swensson Associates of Nashville is the architect for the project.
