Sutter Tracy Community Hospital Announces Plans for Expansion

July 2001

Sutter Tracy Community Hospital (STCH) is expanding to meet the needs of their rapidly growing community. The expansion includes major renovations to Obstetrics (birth) and the Emergency Room and building a new facility for Ambulatory Surgery. The renovations will also include infrastructure improvements such as more efficient heating and cooling systems and a new fire alarm system. Total project costs, including construction, new equipment, and when the projects commence, is estimated to be $21.5 million.

Key Points:
The purpose of these projects is to address growing consumer demand for Obstetrical, Emergency, and Ambulatory Surgery over the short term, and to maintain the current site for at least the next ten to fifteen years. A summary of each project follows:

OBSTETRICS

The new layout will increase square footage by approximately 50% (adds 4,180 sq. ft. or new and renovated space to the existing 8,400 sq. ft.) and offers improved flexibility over the current layout. The department will go from nine intermingled (LDR, LDRP, and post partum) beds to dedicated and better functioning LDRP, post partum and delivery areas (14 total beds). Better throughput of patients will be possible with more post partum beds available to free up LDRs more quickly. The expansion also provides a larger, centralized nurses' station, a larger waiting room which will be adjacent to the unit, and areas for an education room and lactation office that are currently lacking. Growing consumer demand for private rooms will be accommodated in this project. Private rooms should be available to patients except during peak demand times as a result of this project.

EMERGENCY ROOM

A much larger waiting room, four to five times larger than the existing waiting room, with public amenities will be added, and will be a major factor in presenting a great first impression to newcomers (whose first exposure to STCH is almost always through the E.R.) that most hospital services they need are available close to home. The configuration of registration and triage area will be greatly improved. Five new treatment bays will be added to the existing nine bays, to accommodate rapid growth in ER visit volume. A larger nurses' station will be created. The new arrangement will enhance urgent care operations due to "up-front" location of one of the new treatment positions, which is designed to accommodate a Physician Assistant to expedite minor cases.

AMBULATORY SURGERY ADDITION

A 9,000 sq. ft. addition will be built on the north side of the property to provide a highly visible ambulatory care entrance and greatly improve patient care and flow in the surgery area. The addition will house a dedicated 2-room GI suite, ten holding areas for pre- and post- operative patients, a medical procedure area with four chairs for those patients needing pain clinic, antibiotic infusions, blood transfusions, and two holding areas dedicated for isolation and pediatric patients which are currently lacking. Support space for ambulatory surgery is greatly improved, with two consultation offices near a large waiting room area, and a centralized nursing station with more space for dictation immediately following a procedure. The new layout will improve patient throughput by offering staff more options on where to monitor and attend to patients based on their needs. The addition is adjacent to existing operating rooms, allowing for future expansion of both if necessary. A remodel of the existing surgery area will create a new corridor between the Operating Rooms and the new building. Staff lounges and storage areas will be enlarged to improve employee satisfaction and increase storage.

PARKING

This plan calls for building approximately 100 additional parking spaces near the current campus to accommodate growth and to replace 30 parking spots that will be lost due to the new Ambulatory Surgery building. The Hospital Foundation property on Beverly Avenue could be converted to a parking area to add additional stalls.

As a not-for-profit full-service hospital, STCH offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services. Founded in 1948 by a group of community residents and business members, the hospital affiliated with Sutter Health, one of Northern California's largest health care systems in 1993.