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All beam with pride

By Denise Dick

Wednesday, September 6, 2006


The new hospital is expected to open next July.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Members of the board of trustees and employees of Humility of Mary Health Partners lent their signatures to a piece of Mahoning Valley history.
They signed a steel beam that was lifted 142 feet into the air and placed at the top of the new St. Elizabeth Boardman Campus on Tuesday afternoon. It was one of the last beams in the hospital's seven-story tower.
"This is the first new hospital in the area in nearly 50 years," said Genie Aubel, president of St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center.
The new $77 million 108-bed hospital, at the corner of Market Street and McClurg Road, is expected to open in July.
Aubel thanked the architects, contractors and workers involved in the project. The vast majority of them -- about 80 percent -- are local, she said.
"We have a lot to do" before the facility opens, said Len Schiavone, chairman of the board of trustees, "but I think we're well situated to get it accomplished."
What's planned
When complete, the facility's first floor will include the emergency room, cardio-diagnostic area, administrative wing, admitting, medical records, retail and in-patient pharmacy, laboratory and gift shop.
The second floor will have a conference center, kitchen, cafeteria, a two-story central atrium, critical care unit and inpatient rehabilitation facility for physical therapy.
The third through sixth floors are essentially the same with adult patient beds.
The seventh level is a pediatric floor with 20 beds. That unit, expected to open a few months after the new hospital, is an outgrowth of the affiliation between HMHP and Akron Children's Hospital. The two health systems began working together in February 2005 to strengthen pediatric services for children in the Mahoning Valley.
Bath and shower
Each room in the hospital will be equipped with a private bath and shower. Flat-screen televisions and Internet access will be available in each room. Each room was designed with three zones: patient, staff and family.
The family zone includes a couch with a pull-out bed for family members to stay overnight, a table and chairs. Visiting hours in the new hospital also are expected to be open.