Renovations breath new life into oxygen therapy department

The hyperbaric oxygen therapy department at Greater Regional Health is getting an upgrade after approval by the GRH Board of Trustees Monday.

HBOT is a non-invasive form of therapy in which a patient breathes 100% oxygen at a pressure greater than sea level while in an enclosed pressure vessel. This results in a dramatic elevation of oxygen in the blood, tissue and body fluids, treating a variety of medical conditions including chronic refractory osteomyelitis, compartment syndrome, osteoradionecrosis and more.

The HBOT department will be getting an almost $500,000 renovation to add offices and a nurses’ station. Since the space was built for HBOT, Facilities Director Matt Buck said there is heavy engineering involved.

“There is a lot of electrical, a lot of mechanical,“ Buck said. ”We’ll have to switch that from just being a single space to a multi-space area for the heating, air conditioning."

Buck explained about $13,000 of the money will be used to completely tear out a portion of the wall and the door.

“We put that HBOT in there prior to fully building that space, and you can’t take a single space off of it or we void all warranties,” Buck said.

The space is around 850 square feet, putting the cost at less than $600 per square foot. The board acknowledged the price might seem steep, but building new would cost at least twice as much.

In addition to the HBOT renovation, the board approved new flooring for the family practice clinic and the change of 1,114 lights from florescent to LED bulbs.

In other hospital news...

GRH CFO Matt McCutchan said August was a tough month financially for the hospital, largely due to lower patient numbers and more vacations from staff during this time.

GRH CEO Monte Neitzel brought forward two new community investment projects, which the board approved. The Tingley Betterment Foundation received $1,000 to go toward a new playground. The previous one was destroyed by the April 2024 tornado. The hospital gave $10,000 for Lenox Pool renovations, with another donation of the same amount scheduled for next year.