By Kirk Johannesen, The Republic
johannesen@therepublic.com
When Columbus Regional Hospital's emergency department reopens in early August, about 1 percent of the hospital's square footage will be restored from flood damage.
Resumption of inpatient and surgical services in late October or early November will mean more than 70 percent of space will be restored, said Dave Lenart, CRH director of facilities and materials management.
Getting the first floor restored is critical, Lenart said, because all the undamaged upper floors depend on it.
Crews have been working around the clock in the emergency department, and 20 hours a day on the rest of the first floor and the basement.
Primary goal nearing
Workers are laying tile, finishing walls and painting, among other tasks, in the emergency department.
Restoration of the emergency department includes changes, Lenart said. Small laboratory and pharmacy departments will be included, and a second triage center is being installed.
Emergency department machines that were saved and are usable are set to be cleaned and serviced starting next week, before they can be reinstalled.
The mobile emergency department in CRH's parking lot has been treating 50 to 60 people per day, said Denise Glesing, CRH spokesperson and director of marketing and planning.
Reopening of the emergency department means CRH will be able to handle about twice that amount. CRH averaged 110 patients daily before the flood, Glesing said.
The emergency department will lose some patient space to the laboratory and pharmacy departments, but will have more space than the mobile emergency department, Glesing said.
Three exam rooms will be used for the pharmacy department, and two trauma rooms for the laboratory department, Lenart said.
Basement big task
Most of the debris has been removed from the basement, but workers still are removing water-logged insulation, gutting rooms and removing damaged machinery.
Areas of the basement are sealed off with plywood once demolition and cleaning are finished.
"It's just a constant cleaning process," Lenart said.
Lenart said he expects two more weeks of demolition in the basement, excluding the four to six weeks for demolishing concrete walls that form rooms.
"It will look like a skating rink down here," Lenart said.
Water penetrated the concrete walls that sectioned off rooms, and Lenart said drilling holes into the blocks and filling them with a chemical to kill bacteria isn't a guaranteed solution.
"It's just a potential breeding ground for microorganisms," Lenart said.
Lenart noted that concrete blocks used in load-bearing foundations walls are smooth and different than the blocks used to create rooms, which have voids (holes) in them.
The most challenging task in the basement, Lenart said, is installing miles of new electrical wires and cables.
"Rewiring will be big. It will take the longest," he said.