Cookeville Regional stands a quarter of the way through with the endoscopy wing expansion with the project on time and on budget.
CEO Buffy Key said the renovation project should be completed by March of next year. Key said the hospital is working with Turner Construction to manage the expansion, with a close eye for planning, detail and efficiency as the project progresses.
“I think gastroenterology is such an important service for our community, and it’s for everybody,” Key said. “So now we’re adding four more rooms to be able to get people in quicker so that they don’t have to go outside of Cookeville to get that done.”
Key said the new colonoscopy wing will be a vital improvement for CRMC patience when it is completed. Key said the planning process for the expansion involved months of schematic designs and preparation before physical work ever began.
“Turner does a very good job of sticking to their project plans and making sure that any contingency dollars are where they need to be and just not going over,” Key said. “And if there are ever any questions about possibly going over or any changes, they have to go through us first.”
Key said the current patient diversions required by the construction have not caused any problems for hospital operations. Key said the steady progress follows a linear timeline that accounts for potential shipping delays or other interruptions.
“We want to keep people close to home, and I think that phrase has become a cliché in healthcare, but we really do mean it,” Key said. “It all goes back to our core competency of our people taking care of our people.”
Key said the hospital leadership is focused on responding to community needs for increased access to preventive health services like annual colonoscopies. Key said the detailed planning phase acts as an audition for the project to ensure all parties are attuned to the budget and timeline.
“We scrutinize a lot,” Key said. “And they scrutinize themselves, too.”
