The front of the Henryetta hospital will look entirely different next year.
Following a ground breaking ceremony Friday, hospital administrator Dee Renshaw released the photos showing what the new facility will look like after a $3.9 million upgrade.
hospital frontInstead of two separate entrances, one for the emergency room and the other for visitors, there will be one entry. From there, those arriving at the hospital will be directed to their destination.
A nurse station will be built in the area now occupied by the lobby. a separate corridor will direct people to the emergency room area while others can go to admitting.
Work is expected to be completed in 14 months. During part of the construction phase, hospital visitors will be entering the facility through the laboratory entrance. A wooden walkway was built Thursday and will be part of a fence closing off the old entry way. After about five months, Renshaw said the temporary lobby will be open but work will still be going on inside.
He said plans for the project have been underway for some five years. “This is an exciting day for us,” he said after the ground breaking.
A number of Hillcrest officials including Kevin Gross, Hillcrest president, hospital authority members Ron Dombek, Keith Estes and Jennifer Clason and state senator Roger Thompson were on hand for the ceremony.

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