Plans for Future Expansion
IHCRC announces facility expansion plans to increase health care services
Ambitious plans have been announced by the IHCRC Board of Trustees to more than double the size of our current clinical operation!
The need to expand our clinical facility has been increasing every year. The annual volume of patient visits has dramatically increased by over 250% since we opened the doors at our current facility – patients made 34,061 visits in 1999, compared to 86,296 in 2007. To keep pace with the increasing demand for health care services, IHCRC has added clinical and support staff, and currently employs a staff over 110 full-time employees.
IHCRC has remodeled the existing facility to add clinical space, enlarge the nurse’s station and install an automated dispensing system in the pharmacy. In 2005, with no more room available, we leased space at 16th and Main in downtown Tulsa. These satellite offices house our Drug and DUI Court program, Circles of Care, Cherokee Nation’s WIC nutritional program and many of our health education and wellness programs.
To address long-range goals, the IHCRC Board of Trustees regularly reviews the organization’s strategic and facility campus plans. A master plan supports the continued growth of our health operations. Our updated facility plan supports the addition of much needed space to expand our wellness, medical, behavioral health and substance abuse prevention and treatment programs.
In 2005, the Trustees purchased three-quarters of a block of land to the west of our main facility to construct additional parking to adequately meet the immediate and future needs of our medical center. With the completion of the 171-car employee parking lot in March 2007, next phase plans for facility expansion have proceeded.
The Trustees approved undertaking the Facility Schematic Design phase in March 2007. To lead the project, the Board retained James R. Childers Architects, Inc. – the same firm that designed our current facility. The Board’s facility planning committee, together with the staff, architects and consultants, developed a conceptual design for the new facility. The Expansion Team includes:
- IHCRC Board Facility Committee Chair – Jim Cameron, Board Facility Committee member – Herb Haschke and Katy Brown – Cameron Glass Special Projects and Property Manager
IHCRC staff – Carmelita Skeeter, Darryl Hurley and Justin Postier - Indian Health Service – Mitch Baroff
- James R. Childers Architects, Inc. – James Childers, Breck Childers, Casey Hargrave and Blake Mahar
- TEP Civil Engineering – Jerry Ledford Sr. and Brent Cox
- Pharmacy design assistance – ScriptPro
The IHCRC Board approved moving forward with the Design Development phase in October 2007. During this next phase, the team will further develop the facility plans, including space and equipment planning, locating electrical, mechanical and plumbing, firming up wall and structural placement, and harmonizing all aspects of the planned expansion prior to moving into the Construction Documents phase. The Design Development phase will utilize the professional services of James R. Childers Architects, Inc., TEP for civil engineering, Flintco for pre-construction services, and Choctaw Nation Health Consulting for equipment consultation.
Key features of the facility expansion project include:
- Increase space from 27,000 square feet to a projected 63,704 square feet
- Expand pharmacy, with separate entrance and drive thru pick up lanes, further robotic expansion
- Expand departmental space, including behavioral health and medical care, medical records, and employee lounge and restrooms
- Move WIC, drug court, wellness and Circles of Care services at satellite office back to main campus
- Launch of the first dedicated wellness facilities for IHCRC – including health, nutritional and physical activity, counseling and education offices, exercise equipment and rooms, and demonstration kitchen
- Design multi-purpose room overlooking Centennial park to be used for large group meetings and classrooms
- Remodel existing space for more efficient patient flow
- Provide support for telemedicine and electronic health records
- Construct approximately 10,000 square feet of basement space for storage and future expansion needs
- Create external design to seamlessly match current brick and overall appearance, including the addition of distinctive arched floor-to-ceiling windows along the south and west walls of the multi-purpose room
- Upon completion of the expansion project, patient parking will be fully adjacent to the medical facility, with staff parking in the newly built lot to the west
As the facility expansion proceeds, continuous improvement of our current operations remains a priority. This past year, our dental operations converted to fully digital imaging systems. We have begun the process to convert our medical records system to a fully electronic health records system. The expanded facility will provide support for both electronic health records and the provision of telemedicine.
Watch for more updates on our facility expansion in 2008!
