There was certainly reason to celebrate when several hundred people gathered in Providence's newly renovated cafeteria, the InProv Café, on March 27 to enjoy good food and drink as Waco's oldest healthcare facility commemorated the completion of a $48.5 million multi-phase construction/renovation project that began in September of 2005.
In addition to the cafeteria with additional food choices, expanded hours and a waterfall that serves as the centerpiece of a beautiful garden seen through big windows in the main dining area, the project included construction of the five-story F.M. and Gloria Young Tower, which houses Cardio-Pulmonary Rehab, Cardiac, ICU and other services.
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nterventional Radiologist Dr. Adam Borowski with Providence's AXIOM Artiz zee angiography system, the nation's first such system, that allows doctors to obtain three-dimensional images in high resolution for more accurate and efficient stroke diagnosis and faster treatment.
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Mary Beth Michealis, RN, Hyperbaric Nurse, stands next to one of two hyperbaric chambers, in the Providence Wound Care Center. The center provides wound care and treatment to patients with diabetes and other health issues.
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On the day of the urinalysis automation 'birth' the Laboratory celebrated with birthday balloons and cookie cake treats. From left Mary Moran, MLT; Donna Vodopich, LIS Manager, and Deborah Berry, Chemistry Supervisor, are all smiles about the new automation equipment.
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The tower celebrated its first anniversary on April 1.
The project also included expansions of the emergency department from 26 to 51 exam rooms, the radiology department, pharmacy and respiratory services. The surgery department was expanded from nine to 15 rooms with an enlarged 30-bed pre-operative/post operative holding area. Also, a new 475-space parking garage was completed, and the hospital's main lobby, nursing units and admissions department underwent renovations in an effort to create a seamless transition between the original construction and the new construction.
As with any project of this magnitude, cooperation was the operative word. "This could not have been done without the cooperation of our employees, doctors, volunteers, contractors and certainly our patients and their families who were so understanding through the process," said Providence Vice President of Marketing Jonathan Ford.
A major part of that understanding came from employees once the project began back in 2005. A brand new parking lot was built two-tenths of a mile away from the hospital creating the need for busses to run from early in the morning until late at night to transport employees to and from the hospital. "Many of these employees had parked very close to the building for years," Ford said, "but it was amazing how they embraced the new lot and rode the bus everyday with smiles on their faces. I think we all knew that this was a small price to pay to be able to get the facility we needed at this time in our long history."
With architects Grant Dudley and Bernadette Hookham, partners with RBDR, PLLC Architects and President Mike Jackson and Vice President John East of Centex Management Construction Technologies, Ltd. leading the way, over 550,000 new bricks were laid, over 500 new windows were installed, 393,000 square feet of space was added including the parking garage, 11,000 cubic yards of concrete was poured and over 600,000 man hours were needed to complete the project.
"The bottom line is that we are convinced we are providing a facility for our patients and their families that will help us to continue to provide the level of care that Central Texans have grown accustomed to for generations," Ford said.
