SIKESTON - Putting it in medical terms, patients at Missouri Delta Medical Center will find recent hospital fundraising efforts to be "palpable to the touch."
Patients whose care requires testing of some blood or tissue will have that sample whisked away to the lab in a vacuum tube, like the ones found at a drive through bank. The lab then tests the sample and the results are quickly available at a computer station in the emergency room.
Diagnosing the problem quickly allows the health care professional to administer treatment more effectively.
This is just one example of the recent improvements to MDMC funded by Missouri Delta Medical Center Foundation's efforts.
In its 26 years, the Foundation has raised over $15 million for essential projects at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Recent fundraising has made enormous strides with an endowment of $3.4 million dollars from the estate of Ann D. Matthews in addition to $3.6 million in community donations.
Marcie Lawson, executive director of the MDMC Foundation, said she is excited about the contributions which the Foundation is making to the quality and service of medical care for the Sikeston area. The Foundation is credited with raising $7 million to renovate and expand the newly named Ann D. Matthews Emergency Department, where dramatic improvements are evident.
Phase 1 of the project was completed last month and reflects a complete transformation of the structure of the the emergency department. Patients are individually treated in one of the 17 new private rooms which line the perimeter of the new facility. Health care providers are stationed in the center to be close to each individual room.
Hospital improvements are more than just bricks and mortar. "Triage," which is the medical term for the intake and placement of admitting patients, has totally changed in the new emergency department.
Formerly, all persons seeking emergency room care entered through the same door and were treated in close proximity. Now, traumatic or critical care patients arriving by emergency vehicle enter through a separate door, and are treated privately, out of the view of those with less critical needs.
Women's healthcare has also benefitted from the Foundation's efforts. The Foundation assisted the hospital with the purchase of a Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Device, which cost about $150,000.
"This is a simple, safe and minimally invasive procedure that is performed in the mammography department by our team of experienced physicians and technologists," explained Debbie Nichols, director of radiology at MDMC. The technology allows MDMC to pinpoint breast cancer faster and transition from diagnostic to interventional modes in just minutes.
At the MDMC WellPoint Pain Center, the Foundation is helping people regain control of their lives, with renovations and state of the art equipment at the Bruce Medical Building.
Dr. Kenneth Moy and his team offer a variety of treatments to patients from noninvasive options like oral medication to new more aggressive options like ultrasound guided injections and acupuncture.
"I am overwhelmed by the generosity of our community and those in the surrounding area, whose patronage is making a real difference in the quality of life." said Lawson. "These donations have raised the bar by improving our level of service and utilizing improvements in technology to forward our mission."
Lawson said that even more improvements will be underway by the end of this month.
"We have identified a need brought about by demographic changes. Our aging population necessitates a restructuring of our medical facilities to meet the mental needs of our patients who are over 55 years in age," said Lawson. The current geriatric psychiatric unit is full 95 percent of the time, and patients are limited to semi-private rooms. Each month, the hospital has to turn away an average of 15 patients.
The Foundation has secured funding for construction of a new geriatric psychiatric unit from the sale of farmland donated to the MDMC Foundation by June Barton, in addition to grant funding by both the Delta Regional Authority and the United States Department of Agriculture.
The new geriatric psychiatric unit, which will be an addition to the current floor, will begin construction in a few weeks and is expected to be completed in early 2018. When completed, the facility will have 24 private rooms. Dr. Syed Sayeed, medical director, and Cindy Dohogne, program director, will oversee the program treating geriatric patients with psychiatric needs.