Firm lists needs for hospital in Dillon

By Nick Gevock - 10/01/2008

DILLON — Barrett Hospital should build a new, single-story hospital on a piece of bare land about 10 acres in size, a consulting firm recommended Tuesday.

The community would be better served by starting with a fresh site rather than trying to squeeze a two-story hospital building on the existing three-acre campus on the south side of Dillon, said Michael Curtis, a consultant with the Neenan Co.

"The building needs are greater than an acre — your existing site is three acres," Curtis told more than 60 people who attended a special Barrett Hospital board meeting at the University of Montana Western. "You can do it, but it will be disruptive." The board hired Neenan to recommend what type of facility Dillon will need to meet future health care needs. The company has worked for more than four months studying the area's population, health care services offered and future needs.

The study has aimed to determine what, if anything, Barrett will need to keep up with changes in medical technology, an aging population and other factors affecting health care. Neenan consultants in July said the current hospital completed in the early 1970s is outdated, inefficient and in need of numerous upgrades to meet current codes.

Neenan said last month the board should build a 54,000-square-foot hospital. The company estimated such a facility would cost $27 million.

More details The final recommendation laid out more detail.

Joe Ashcraft, a Neenan architect, presented two rough designs that included a two-story hospital on the existing site. It called for the hospital support services — including food services, laboratory and diagnostic imaging — as well as the emergency room on the main floor. The second story would house patient rooms.

He said it would have some advantages over going to a new site, including its close proximity to the existing, modern medical office building on the campus and improved parking.

On the other hand, the two-story design would mean a central nursing station wouldn't be possible, making it less efficient and more costly to run in the long term. And the limited site would make future expansions difficult.

Ashcraft said from a design standpoint, starting with a fresh piece of land is the best way to go. A single-story hospital would have separate emergency room and main entrances, a staff parking lot separate from the public's lot and could utilize a central nurses' station.

"There's really not any disadvantage that you can't overcome with a new site," he said. "We just have to lay it out properly." Neenan recommended building the new site somewhere near the existing site on property south of town.

Barrett CEO Steve Hannah stressed that the plans are conceptual only.

But one member of the public asked how difficult it would be for patients to go from the medical office building on the current campus to a new hospital. Hannah said that would be an issue, but eventually the hospital would look into a new office building on the new site.

"We could live with this for a period of time and not have it be in the long term," he said.

The costs The two-story building would cost between $26.5 million and $30 million, Curtis said. The single-story facility, without land costs, would come in between $25.2 million and $28.7 million.

The hospital could finance the project through federal Department of Housing and Urban Development-backed programs. Under those, the hospital could be financed through 25-year bonds.

Neenan recommended if the board decides to move forward, it begin the HUD loan process right away, select a banker to handle the financing and begin design and engineering work.

A final decision on whether to build a new hospital, where it should go and other details will be made by the board next month. If it decides to proceed, Curtis said planning, financing and other work could be done within a year, with construction starting late next year.

A new hospital could be open as early as December, 2010, he said.

"That's an ambitious timeframe, but it's doable," he said.

— Reporter Nick Gevock may be reached at nick.gevock@mtstandard.com