Bids will be opened Jan.

Friday, January 07, 2000

Bids will be opened Jan. 12 for construction of new laboratory facilities at River Valley Health System in Ironton.

The new lab will be located on the hospital’s ground floor on South Eighth Street in space that was constructed several years ago when the new intensive care and step-down units were added to the second floor, CEO Terry Vanderhoof told trustees this week.

"Major renovation work also is proceeding on the second floor in the area that previously was occupied by administrative and nursing offices," Vanderhoof said. "Once that is done in early April, we will move expanded pharmacy services to that area and begin converting the current pharmacy area to patient rooms."

Also currently under construction is a new physicians’ lounge on the second floor. During the construction phase, the hospital’s human resources department will be relocated to the first floor.

"We also plan to expand and move our growing cardiac rehabilitation department," he said. The cardiac rehab department currently is located on the second floor adjacent to the intensive care and step-down units. The move to larger quarters will occur within the next two months.

In other business during this week’s trustee meeting:

Director of nursing Connie Lowe said the hospital’s community focus on women’s health will spotlight losing weight sensibly during January. Interested groups should contact the hospital at 532-3231 for more information.

The calendar change from 1999 to 2000 was without problems, Vanderhoof said.

"We spent almost two years as well as went to considerable expense to make sure we were Y2K compliant," he told trustees. "The management team was here before midnight on New Year’s Eve in case there were unanticipated problems; however, it all went without a hitch."

Trustees attending included chairman Bob Griffith, Eileen Vass-Brown, Dr. Rodolfo Canos, Don Lambert and Jim Weber. Glenda Marting was out of town on business and was unable to attend.