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It was just two years ago that officials of Hamilton Hospital received word of a $10 million donation from a local couple. That pledge would be the spark that set plans in motion to build a new, state-of-the-art hospital facility.

The donation from Bob and Mary Van Diest carried a few stipulations, including that the funds be used to build a new structure and not be a remodeling project. In addition, construction contracts were to be signed and ground to be broken within one year.

The hospital staff stepped into high gear at that point to find an architect. What normally takes up to 18 months in the design process needed to be in place in less than a year.

Today, construction is nearing the final stages; in fact, work is right on track for the anticipated completion in September. Construction manager Don Friesen, of JE Dunn, said about 100 workers are on-site each day as separate crews work mechanical, electrical and plumbing, drywall and exterior finishing. Friesen said many areas inside the 81,000-square-foot hospital are nearly ready for finishing work. Flooring, paint and cabinetry will be coming in the next couple of months, he said.

During a recent walk-through of the building with Friesen, Administrator Palmer Schneider and John Svenson, building and grounds director, shared some thoughts about the new hospital.

Svenson said the construction crews take great pride in the project.

"As you walk down the hallways, you can just see all that pride that those guys take in their work here. It's really neat to see," he said.

Large tarps cover areas of the exterior, protecting workers from the elements as they attach insulation, and apply the brick work. The tarps help keep the temperatures warm enough for workers and materials from the bitterly cold temperatures, snow and ice. Friesen said that since the building is completely enclosed, the heavy snowfall and cold have not created delays for the crew.

"It's amazing how quickly the building is going up," said Schneider. "It's been a while since I've been at the site and things are really beginning to take shape."

Schneider pointed out his new office space on the tour. The new office is substantially smaller than his space in the old hospital.

"We made these offices all about 120 square feet. I think my office at the old hospital is about 200 square feet. But when you get to the patient care area, we put all of that space into the new rooms. And that's the way it should be," he said.

"When you walk in those rooms, the extra space is very noticeable," he said. Each of patient rooms will be identical so supplies and equipment will be in the same places in every room. The rooms will also feature a sleeper sofa so that families members will be able to stay in the room with the patient. A lift system in each room will allow nurses and staff to move the patient safely and with ease from the bed to a chair or the sofa, or into the bathroom. Each bathroom has a shower and meets all of the American with Disabilities Act criteria.

Patients will have some control over the temperature in their rooms.

"Each room will have a thermostat so they can choose how cool or warm their room will be," Friesen said. "That's big in the patient rooms. It used to be the old way was everybody would be 70 degrees whether they liked it or not."

The patient rooms have large windows that will overlook the hospital grounds, with shades that will allow patients to see out, but prevent anyone outside from seeing into the room.

The four labor and delivery rooms rooms are even larger, according to Svenson.

"That allows for a more homey setting," he said.

The new facility will have two surgical suites, two endoscopy rooms and a third procedure room. Patients who visit the hospital for a same-day surgery procedure will find much more privacy, Schneider said, with individual rooms after they come out of recovery. Each room has windows that will allow natural light to spill into the room, but the windows are high enough so that no one outside can see in, Schneider said.

The spacious new dining area looks out on the courtyard, which will also provide seating for dining during the warmer months. A section of the dining room can be divided with a folding curtain to create smaller meeting room spaces, Svenson said. Kitchen workers will have a larger work space, with a separate preparation, serving and dishwashing areas. Currently, the food service staff works in a rather cramped galley-style kitchen, Svenson said.

A back hallway leads from the patient areas to surgery to radiology to the emergency room and ambulance garage. That hallway allows patients to be transported in a more private way, away from the public corridors, Schneider said.

Two sleep study rooms have special sound deadening materials built into the walls to give patients a quiet night's sleep for testing, Friesen said. A nearby office will give nurses a spot to monitor equipment readings for those taking sleep tests.

Schneider said the property and how the building is situated will also allow for future expansion. He said demographic studies have shown that the facility may need additional space for radiology and surgery. The building has some built-in flexibility to allow for that expansion, he said.

The big move is expected to take place around Sept. 27. Schneider said his staff is reviewing a couple of companies that specialize in moving hospital equipment.

"The firm will come in and do the move over the period of about four or five days, realizing that towards the end of the move, there may things we need to do at the current hospital - like lab will continue to have tests - so there may be a window of a few hours for some of those things," Schneider said. "They've got everything mapped out and everything will be boxed up ready to move over here."

"It should be fairly seamless," Svenson agreed.

The last to be moved will be any patients in the hospital. Technically, the hospital cannot operate two buildings under one license, Schneider said, so once the patients move in, the new facility will be open, and the old hospital will close.

"After a few weeks in the new hospital, the state will come in and inspect our operation to recertify us for Critical Access Status," he said.

Schneider said his staff is working with Webster City Area Development and other groups to try to find a use for the old building.

"We're looking at options, trying to see what would fit best," he said.

Just before the move into the new building, Schneider said there would be an open house, so the public will be able to see the new facility. Last month, the hospital board of trustees voted to name the building in honor of the couple who made that initial, large donation. While the hospital will still do business as Hamilton County Public Hospital, the new building will be named Van Diest Medical Center.

"If it weren't for that generous pledge, we wouldn't be here today. That's what really got us moving towards this once-in-a-lifetime project," Schneider said.

Contact Anne Blankenship at editor@freemanjournal.net or call 832-4350.