Stan Korducki, Wood County Hospital President

Construction is nearing completion at the Wood County Hospital. The two-story, 100,000 square foot addition will increase the hospital size by 50 percent. With over 56 years of service in our community, the hospitals commitment remains strong.

From the time the hospital accepted its first patient on August 14, 1951, professional excellence and personalized care has been the overriding goal.
The private, non-profit 95 bed acute care facility serves a population of over 72,000 in Wood, Henry, Seneca, Sandusky, and Hancock counties in Northwest Ohio. More than 100,000 community members turn to Wood County Hospital each year for inpatient, outpatient, and emergency medical procedures.

The Wood County Hospital’s mission is to provide the highest quality preventive, educational and rehabilitative healthcare service to all. This commitment of providing top quality care is not only reflected in the advanced technology and superior medical nursing and professional staff, but also in the hospitals ability to meet the needs of our community. Of those patients that initially seek treatment at Wood County Hospital, 98.2% complete their treatment without needing to be transferred to another hospital.

“The vision of Wood County Hospital in making the renovation a reality, not only benefits Bowling Green, but Wood County and Northwest Ohio,” said Earlene Kilpatrick, Executive Director for the Chamber of Commerce. “Wood County Hospital’s renovation is an investment that enhances our local economy by strengthening the job market and attracting experts in the health care industry.”

Emergency Departments
Renovation plans will increase capacity by about 20 percent. Supporting the plans will also create increases in efficiency, new use of technology and more flexible patient management.

Additional space, better technology and multifunctional equipment will allow the Emergency Departments to work more efficiently and reduce the time patients will wait before they receive the urgent care they need. The number of patient visits capable of being handled by the new Emergency Department will grow from 25,000 to about 35,000 and will meet the emergency needs of the county for the next 15 years.

Surgery Suites
As part of the 100,000 square foot new addition, the surgical area will grow from the current six treatment rooms to eleven new state-of-the-art surgical units. In addition to six new PeriOperative Suites, plans call for the addition of five surgery rooms focused on cystoscopy, minor procedure, stereo tactic breast biopsy and two rooms for endoscopy procedures.

Surgery services are a focal point for the financial security of the hospital. Yet in order to maximize the finicial return from surgery operations, Wood County needs a state-of-the-art PeriOperative Center, appropriate to the hospital size and scope of services. A new PeriOperative Center will allow for more surgeries each day and minimize the need to increase staff to meet growing demands. Both efficiencies offer patients, physicians and the community better medical services, while helping to keep the cost increases in healthcare to a minimum.

Women’s Diagnostic Center
The Women’s Diagnostic Center will focus on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and health education needs of women, including mammography, bone density, ultrasound and sterotactic breast biopsy. By bringing these services together, women’s healthcare will be streamlined, offering personalized and timely care. The new Women’s Diagnostic Center will provide enhanced privacy, with a public area kept separate from patient care.

The new Wood County Hospital addition features touches of nature both inside and outside the building. A leaf motif can be seen throughout the building in the flooring and carpeting.

Private, Single Patient Rooms
Patients of Wood County Hospital will greatly benefit from the addition of 30 patient beds. The new private, single-patient rooms will be larger for better flexibility and increased efficiency. Each of the new rooms can be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that will reduce or eliminate the need for mobile equipment to be moved from one room to another.

Perhaps the greatest benefit to the patient is a reduction in cross-patient contamination, thus assisting in infection control.
Additionally, expanded federal privacy requirements mean that semi-private rooms can create confidentiality challenges. Privacy and convenience will be enhanced by the addition of larger rooms that are handicap accessible with private restrooms facilities within each room.

Green Roof
The new addition will include a 15,000 square foot green roof of flowering plants and grasses located on the buildings second floor roof. The green roof is intended to provide a natural environment between the existing building and the new building for the benefit of the patients and visitors.

The new building will cost $42 million, with $37 million of the cost coming from a bond issue by the hospital. The Wood County Hospital Foundation’s “The Vision for Tomorrow” fundraising campaign has raised $1.97 million in cash and pledges to support the building project since the campaign began in January 2008. The campaign goal is to raise $2.5 million.

“The project signals a new era for delivery of healthcare services in Wood County, and it reinforces Wood County Hospital’s commitment to the community it has served for more than 55 years,” said Korducki. Patients are expected to move into the new wing of the hospital in late January 2010.”

Wood County Hospital’s long term strategic plan calls for the enhancement of “core healthcare services” that the local community will benefit from most. However, to do so it requires an extensive investment in Wood County Hospital and its services.

The goal of the Wood County Hospital is to prepare for the next generation of healthcare changes, whether the changes are technology, growth of services, or increased finicial efficiency. It is something that started in 1951 with the tremendous support of the community; support that our generation will need to continue.