Maggie McKay (Host): When your hospital is under construction, it's good to know the progress and the latest update. So today, COO Jake Davidson joins us to share the latest news as well as what's coming up next for Jefferson Healthcare.

Welcome to To Your Health, a podcast from Jefferson Healthcare. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Thank you for joining us today, Jake. Good to see you again.

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: Hey, Maggie. Yeah, I'm excited to share some updates we got.

Host: So, would you please give us a general overview of how construction is coming along?

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: Yeah, it's coming along very well. Knock on wood, we have hit no barriers. In fact, we got some exciting news. We got some new parking opened up for mostly our staff, but we're able to open up about 55 spots. So, that was a great little bonus during some tough phases, but things are progressing along very well.

Host: And for those who may not know, can you give us an idea of what is being done and why the expansion project?

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: Yeah, absolutely. So, three years ago, we decided that we had a building that was built in 1965 that was just not up to code any longer. And so, we decided to demolish it and build a brand new building, about 56,000 square feet, focused on adding new services for the community. So I think one of the really exciting things with this building is we're going to be adding services that we've never had that will keep care local.

And so, I'm also actually excited to share that we've now signed an ear, nose and throat physician. So, they will be starting with us. We'll be able to do those services here. We've also signed a neurologist and we've signed a pulmonologist and we have a verbal commitment from a radiation oncologist. So, not only are we going to add Neurology, Pulmonology, Ear, Nose, and Throat, but we're also adding Radiation Oncology. We'll be the first critical access in the state to do that, which is very exciting. And it's great for our patients, right? During their toughest time, they don't have to travel an hour, two hours to look at both directions for, you know, a five, 10-minute appointment. And so, the building's awesome, but adding those services is really what we're doing here.

Host: Jake, how has the new construction affected hospital operations in the short term?

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: You know, it's been tough, but we've overcome it. I think everybody knows the life at the end of the tunnel. We've had to punch holes in walls, create new processes, you know, reduce parking, reduce patient parking, move services. It's been complicated, but shout out to the team. You know, we've done everything possible to make it as less complicated as possible. Both staff and patients, everybody, you know, we've weathered the storm and, you know, it's not perfect. But I think we've found some good solutions and the goal was keeping everything operational 24/7, which we absolutely have. And, you know, made this a little bit of a harder project. But that's what we had to do. And so, I think that's been successful, honestly.

Host: That's a big undertaking, any way you look at it. What feedback have you gotten from patients and staff regarding the upcoming changes?

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: Yeah. You know, mostly excitement. As I've talked about the new services, I mean, I can't tell you how many times, somebody in the community has been like, "Oh, I just had to go see ENT." I mean, I joke, I think we're frequent flyers doing ENT down south, my family that is. And so, you know, I think everybody knows somebody or has somebody in their family or themselves that's needed this service. And so, I just think that's been the power behind this complex, painful at times, project is just what we're going to be able to bring the community high quality care locally.

Host: What's the latest part of the project that's been completed?

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: A week or two ago, we got the additional parking, which is exciting, because parking's challenging. Actually, in a couple weeks, we'll get even more parking. So, that'll be good news, And a lot of the work right now is going on internal, so inside of the building, so you can't really see it from either outside or our website. But here shortly, they're going to be working on the outside facade, and so you're going to start to see the windows go in, some of the brick and things, so we're really covering up a lot of the concrete, and then they're actually also doing a lot of the parking lot in front of the building. So, additional parking won't be open until the building's open, but you're going to see that as well. So, more visuals outside, even though a majority of the work's going on inside.

Host: What are you most excited about department-wise? Like when it's all finished, what do you think is the best part of it?

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: Yeah, I think it's a new service. You know, I think having the care here at home just means that folks are going to often be able to just get care, not even, you know, reduce the travel. Often folks won't travel to get that care. So, I think that's exciting. I think the other exciting thing about it is we really focus on trying to make the hospital as wayfinding-positive, dummy proof it as possible for lack of a better term. And so, I'm also excited about that. I think we put a lot of effort in making it simple to find where you're going. And so, I'm hopeful that it won't be like your standard hospital where you get lost eight times, but rather, you know, it'll be a little more easy to guide you through where you need to find.

So, there's a lot that we tried to accomplish with this. But at the end of the day, you know, it's always the new services and, bringing new exciting physicians into the community to provide excellent care.

Host: That's awesome. And the big question, when is it expected to be completed?

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: Yeah. So, we still are on track. We're looking at July 18th of 2025, is basically when we'll get the keys. And then, the team's really focused right now on getting things up and going, which is probably one of the more complex part of this, even though we've talked about how hard and complex this is. But you know, it's commissioning equipment. It's stocking rooms, it's figuring out logistics, it's prepping for codes and things like that. So, there's a lot to do. And we're trying to, of course, get things open as quick as possible. You know, we're looking at probably a late August, starting to see patients early September. It'll probably be phased. There'll be some services will lift off sooner than others. I'm sure next time we chat, I'll have a little more on that. But things are progressing well. We're on time, on budget, and a lot of the hard work of trying to coordinate all of those moving pieces once we get the keys to the buildings going on right now.

Host: That's awesome. It all sounds like it's moving forward seamlessly and everyone's excited about it as they should be. Is there anything else in closing, Jake, that you'd like to add?

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: No. I mean, I think so many people have been hard at work at this and I appreciate them. I appreciate, you know, our community and our staff for all of the disruptions we've caused. We've had trucks on major highways, slowing down traffic. And so, I know it's been a challenge, but the light at the end of the tunnel, we have some really exciting things coming. You know, I pinched myself that the project's gone as well as it has. And I think just bringing care local, that's what we're about. So, we're thrilled.

Host: Well, continued success.

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: Absolutely.

Host: Thank you so much for sharing the update on the construction and the modernization and expansion project. We appreciate it.

Jacob (Jake) Davidson, MHA, FACHE: Yeah. Thanks, Maggie. Great talking to you.

Host: You too. Again, that's Jake Davidson. If you'd like to find out more, please visit jeffersonhealthcare.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Maggie McKay. Thanks for listening to To Your Health, presented by Jefferson Healthcare.