The Nor-Lea Inpatient Expansion Project implemented the second phase of the Campus Master Plan for Nor-Lea General Hospital. The Critical Access Hospital, located in Lovington, New Mexico was licensed as a 25-bed unit. 20 of the beds were located in 10 semi-private rooms. This was problematic for the hospital because of the inability to mix male and female patients and the risk of cross contamination from patients having communicable diseases. The new addition allowed for the creation of 21 new private patient rooms and renovation of four (4) existing private rooms to maintain the 25 bed license.
Closer patient monitoring by the staff was accomplished by creating a nurse pod between every pair of patient rooms. The inpatient unit is divided into three distinct patient wings which allows the hospital to expand and contract staffing on the unit floor dependent on patient load and acuity required. Glazed openings at the end of the corridors along with generous patient room windows provide a connection to the exterior environment. A memorial garden is also available for use by the patients, staff, and visitors.
The project encompasses 15,576 square feet of inpatient addition and 22,000 square feet of renovation including 21,00 square feet of renovation of clinic space vacated when the Lovington Medical Clinic was completed, converting the space into the hospital’s Professional Physicians Center.
The available site was a corner that was bounded on four sides by the existing hospital, a state highway, a detention pond, and the emergency department access road and helipad. Extensive planning and coordination between the hospital and the construction team was necessary to prevent construction activities from interfering with ambulance traffic, helicopter traffic and daily hospital operations.
Square feet: 15,576 of addition & 22,000 of renovation
Cost: $8,851,412
