Sutter Tracy Community HospitalPlans Major Expansion

MEDIA ALERT

April 2002

For more information contact
Gary Rapaport, CEO, 209-832-6050


TRACY - Sutter Tracy Community Hospital will be an early beneficiary of a major region-wide $3.5 billion facility improvement plan announced today by the not-for-profit Sutter Health network. While the system-wide plan encompasses a fifteen-year time horizon, Sutter Tracy is on the fast track with a $22 million expansion plan that should be completed in a little over two years from now.

"Not only is the community growing," according to Sutter Tracy CEO, Gary Rapaport, "but many of the people who have moved here over the past several years are realizing that there is no need to commute for health care. We see more and more people choosing local doctors, asking for local specialists, and insisting on insurance plans that give them access to local health services. This naturally increases then number of patients that we serve, and that is what this expansion is designed to address."

With more women delivering babies at Sutter Tracy Community Hospital, one of the key areas of the expansion is for Obstetrics. The new construction and renovation will increase the total size of the department by about 50% and will help meet the growing demand for additional private LDR (Labor, Delivery, and Recovery) room, and post-partum Couplet Care rooms (where mother and baby stay in the same room). Joanne Slayter, RN, Sutter Tracy's OB manager is excited about the plans. "Our current patient satisfaction scores are sky high, and with consumer demand for private rooms, our expansion efforts will accommodate this need," notes Slayter. "This plan includes a larger centralized nurses station, and a nice new waiting room adjacent to the unit, which should make it more comfortable for family members."

Emergency room and urgent care visits have also increased dramatically over the past few years, and the expansion includes a significant enhancement of these important local services. Treatment bays will be increased from nine to fourteen and the waiting room will be much larger - four to five times the current size. According to Fred Ford, Director of Business Development, increasing the size of the unit is only part of the plan. "We will make significant enhancements to patient flow to improve our patient experience in the ER. The registration and triage area will be reconfigured, including an up-front location for a Physician Assistant to expedite minor cases."

With more Tracy residents choosing local specialists, the growth in surgical procedures performed at Sutter Tracy - both inpatient and outpatient - has grown significantly. "We all know that medical procedures are constantly improving, which reduces hospital stays, and increases outpatient procedures," says Cindy Ullery, RN, Surgery Manager for Sutter Tracy. While the hospital's existing surgery area will be remodeled and improved, the major expansion is a 9000 square foot addition that will be adjacent to the existing operating room, and which will provide state-of-the-art facilities for ambulatory surgery and other outpatient medical procedures.

Though seismic upgrades are a significant portion of the region-wide Sutter Health facility improvement plan, Sutter Tracy is fortunate in that it substantially met the stringent seismic requirements set by the State. "Only $1.4 million dollars of our $22 million project is related to the seismic requirements," notes Rapaport. "This means that more of our investment will go directly into improving patient care and accommodating the additional growth of the Tracy community."

The Sutter Tracy facility improvement plan was developed with significant involvement from local physicians, working closely with the hospital's Board of Directors. "I've been practicing medicine here for over twenty years," notes local orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kuldeep Sidhu, Sutter Tracy's current Chief of Staff. "Our local Board has always worked closely with our medical staff, and has provided the investments necessary to provide quality care for our community 24-hours a day, 7-days per week. As Tracy residents, we can all be very proud of this hospital."

Before any work can begin, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development must approve the expansion plans. If everything goes as scheduled, the timeline calls for the groundbreaking on the first phase of the project this July, with phase two beginning next spring. The entire project should be completed by May 2004. The work has been carefully planned and phased, according to Fred Ford. "At no time will any of our services be disrupted by the construction. Patients will certainly see some construction activity, but will have full access to hospital services. Safety, service, and patient satisfaction are our top priorities."