If you have occasion to visit Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics (ISH) in Clarion in the near future, things might be looking a little different. Various parts of the building are under construction or will be soon. ISH CEO Steve Simonin says though the campus might be chaotic, the construction is all in service to “giving patients what they deserve.”
Currently, ISH is in the midst of a couple projects, with more on the horizon. Community Pharmacy located near the clinic is getting a bit of a facelift. Simonin explained that in order to comply with regulations, they needed to retool their space in the pharmacy. This means that they will now utilize that whole area for the pharmacy with the waiting area moved outside of that room.
Another project that has already gotten a start is updating the HVAC system that services many of the hospital rooms. Simonin said the current heating and cooling system dates back to the 1950s and has been a source of frustration for a while. He adds that with the new system, they will be able to use some COVID funds to add air pressure regulation to the rooms.
Because ISH needs to complete this project by the end of their fiscal year in June, Simonin said they will have to close down several hospital rooms temporarily. “We may end up transferring some patients to Belmond, but we’re all part of the same system, so everyone will be well taken care of,” he said.
Simonin also said that on the docket is some construction that will change the location of ISH’s administration and human resources offices to make space for specialty clinics. “Admin and HR will be moving to the Meadows and a new orthopedic clinic will take the place of our current offices,” Simonin noted.
One project that he said they are looking forward to is adding three more labor and delivery rooms to the facility. “We keep growing. Last year we delivered 508 babies and we anticipate more this year.” He added that they have out-of-town moms travel to Clarion from up to two hours away to deliver here. “We are excited to accommodate even more women.”
Looking down the road, ISH even has plans to spread out of their current building down the block. Simonin said they have purchased a house north of the hospital, immediately south of the community garden space. They hope to remodel that space into an annex for marketing and the hospital foundation in addition to using it for storage.
Simonin says that they are anticipating being under construction for about the next year and a half. Projects will likely cost from 6-8 million dollars he estimated. They will seek loans to fund the projects.
“We’re simply running out of space. But this is really a good problem to have,” emphasized Simonin. He pointed out that other area hospitals have entire unused floors, empty spaces and are shutting down services. However, ISH continues to grow.
“People are coming here for services. And that is a great thing for not only ISH, but the community as well,” concluded Simonin.
