THE BIG GROUNDBREAKING

Stewart Memorial Community Hospital digs in for its $31 million project

Clear skies and comfortable temperatures are usually perfect conditions for anyone. It felt like a sign for Stewart Memorial Community Hospital, set to the south of Highway 175 in Lake City.

It felt like a sign that smooth sailing would be ahead, even with the current proverbial storm that is COVID-19.

The medical facility has undergone many changes since it had opened its doors in 1962. By the time the hospital celebrates its 60th year of operation, the sprawling complex will have a fresh look, ready to face the challenges and address the needs of the future.

This past Thursday, Stewart Memorial Community Hospital took one large step toward reaching that goal.

Surrounded by stakeholders, community members and staff, administrators and major contributors of the Lake City hospital put their shovels into the fresh Iowa soil in a groundbreaking ceremony near the hospital’s main entrance.

The $31 million expansion and renovation project, named “Putting People First,” will bring sweeping changes to the hospital’s layout, triple the size of a new emergency department and outpatient services area with private exam rooms for patient care.

Set to be complete in 2022, the expansion and renovation will be Stewart Memorial Community Hospital’s fourth major facelift since its inception.

The ceremony was highlighted by short speeches from SMCH CEO Cindy Carstens, Chief Financial Officer Jim Henkenius, SMCH Foundation President Jo Grodahl and SMCH Auxiliary Co-Presidents Marie Schwarm and Joyce Schleisman.

Each speaker sang the same tune, thanking donors for their support.

Dr. Margaret Vitiritto, benefactors Gus and Nancy Macke followed up with their own speeches, before Reverend Chad Dietrich provided the blessing. Not only did Dietrich provide the prayer, but is also Chairman for the SMCH Board of Directors.

Foundation Director Jesse Underwood provided a quick update to the fundraising campaign. Before spades turned over its ground, engraved shovels were presented to the Mackes for their donation of precious farm ground and to Carstens and Henkenius from Graham Construction president Steve Hauschilt.

CMBA Architects, based in Sioux City, formulated the hospital’s updated design. The firm has been responsible for designing Autumn’s Center for Spencer’s Seasons Center for Behavior Health and the renovation of Memorial Stadium in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Graham Construction of Des Moines will aim to convert the design into reality. The company has built 15 medical facilities, including the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake.

It was a monumental day for everyone all around, especially for Carstens, who has been with SMCH since 2008. After all, the project has been three years in the making.

“It’s really exciting to see this project finally coming to fruition,” Carstens said. “We’ve really worked hard with CMBA Architects and Graham Construction to create the plan that we’ve really felt we needed to have to fit the needs of our community.”

“I believe that with the beautiful weather that we had, it’s a great way to start a project,” Carstens continued. “It felt like we were blessed by the Lord, and this tells me that this project is going to continue to move forward and we’re going to see some great things happening in our community.”

Henkenius, who has served as the hospital’s CFO since 1989, noted the significance of the groundbreaking.

“To be a part of this today is just amazing for our community and the patients that we will serve,” Henkenius said. “It’s going to bring us into the future of health care with privacy and the updated facilities our patients will receive, following in the footsteps of the care their parents, grandparents or anyone else has received prior to this. We’re looking forward to what this community will be able to receive from this.”

“Our staff is excited for those updates, so they can feel that they’re providing safe health care, as well,” Henkenius added. “These updates are needed, and this will address our three areas of concern: safety, efficiency, privacy and confidentiality. We’re excited to get this started.”

During his speech, Henkenius touched on the improvements made in 1974 and 1975, during the 1980s and in 1992. It was in the latter improvement that brought McCrary-Rost Clinic into the fold to become the first rural hospital in Iowa to fuse a clinic and hospital together underneath one roof.

Within the layout, SMCH will be more streamlined. According to Henkenius, the hospital will have public access hallways and sectors where privacy is maintained.

“What we’re trying to do with all of this is to simplify the wayfinding,” Henkenius said. “Some of the hallways are public access, and others will be designated for employees and patients. You won’t see patients being wheeled from ER down to radiology as they are now. It will all be done within the confines of the emergency room. It’s going to be more sprawling, but we’ll have more isolated areas. It’ll be really easy to find your way around internally.”

Along with Henkenius, Carstens gave plenty of credit to the hospital staff.

“Our staff played a key role in being part of the whole planning process,” Carstens said. “It’s really their project, because they designed it to how they wanted their departments to be. It’s important for them, as well as us, to continue to move forward.”

Carstens also touched on wanting SMCH to be in Lake City as long as the sun shines upon the plain.

“We want to be here for centuries to come, and provide great healthcare to our communities for generations to come,” Carstens said. “We’re excited and it’s fun to get to this point.”

So far, the capital campaign to aid the renovation and expansion efforts has reached $1.8 million of its allotted $2.25 million benchmark. According to Underwood, this day has been a long time coming.

“It’s an exciting time for our organization,” Underwood said. “The process started three years ago, and a lot of work has went on behind the scenes. Being able to come together and put shovels into the ground, I really feel that it’s going to propel the community’s excitement about the project, as well as starting to see the transitions beginning to happen here in the next few months. Then, over the course of the next 29 months, we’ll see a full transition of our facility.”

Along with SMCH’s CEO and CFO, Underwood acknowledged that the project would complement the accolades achieved by the hospital’s well-accomplished staff.

“The inside of our organization is filled with wonderful people,” said Underwood. “On the outside, our community is filled with wonderful people. And now, our hospital will become a place where our wonderful people will be able to come together.”

For those who still want to contribute to the “Putting People First” initiative, Underwood provided plenty of options for potential donors.

“For donations, people can give contributions directly to the SMCH Foundation,” Underwood said. “Those donation are able to be deducted from their taxes, but people can give directly through cash donations, they can do multiple-year pledges and they can give through their wills and estates. We work with a lot of donors in different capacities to be able to make their wishes come true and to benefit the organization.”

Essentially, it’s anything and everything under the sun – including a farm.

The project is an endeavor that Lake City Mayor Tyler Holm has been involved with, as a patient, donor and prominent community member. On July 20, Holm donated $25,000 to the SMCH Foundation.

“I’ve personally used the hospital for various surgeries and treatment options,” Holm said. “It’s nice to see that the physical therapy department will have an expansion. From my experience, physical therapy was a big thing for me. I did see that the facility was undersized. They had good staff, but they didn’t have a lot of room to move around and do what they really wanted to do. That expansion is really going to change that for them.”

Holm also provided a perspective from Lake City, the hospital’s main community. The City of Lake City has pledged $50,000 over a five-year period of time for the hospital’s upcoming improvements.

“From the city side of it, it’s very important to have a hospital in our town,” said Holm. “It’s even more important to maintain the hospital and support it in any way that the city can. We were able to give as much as we could, as much as our budget would allow. We’re happy to help in any way, as we do see that Stewart Memorial Community Hospital is a vital resource for this town.”