SRMC Unveiling New Vision

Sidney Regional Medical Center is looking to streamline some of their response lines. Hospital officials are hoping to move the Extended Care Center to what is now an open field west of the hospital.

Sidney Regional’s CEO Jason Petik said recently hospital officials will be holding public meetings to discuss concerns and questions from clients and local residents.

Petik said eight years ago, the long-term plan was to move the Extended Care Center to the hospital campus. The hospital changed plans when events impacted Sidney including the buyout of Cabela’s and the announcement of the COVID-19 and its accompanying restrictions.

“We have been in this building six years now,” he said.

Concerns with the current Extended Care location, the former hospital, include the physical plant needs, roof, walk-in cooler, windows, carpet and paint. He estimates the work would cost about $8 million. He said the location was the right building then, but has outgrown its use.

Cost of upgrading the Extended Care facility is only one of the reasons it is considered for a move. The other reason is streamlining response. When a resident of the Extended Care facility needs specific care, an ambulance is called and the resident is transported to the hospital, a task that can take several minutes.

The proposed design is for the new location to have a main area and two wings; one will be a “Memory Care” unit focused on caring for dementia patients. Additionally, the proposal includes direct access to the hospital. Urgent care would require movement through a connecting hallway, not an ambulance ride. The facility will also have the capability of locking down wings to control illnesses; not the entire facility.

The hospital is also looking toward an hospice service. Hospice of the Plains in Colorado has petitioned for permission to offer services in western Nebraska. When that is approved, the hospital will partner with Hospice of the Plains to offer hospice services in part of the building currently housing the billing offices.

Confirmation of Hospice of the Plains expanding into Nebraska is expected in January

The future of the new Extended Care facility rests on USDA funding.

A public meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, at Sidney Regional Medical Center, and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cheyenne County Community Center as SRMC CEO Jason Petik updates the community on the hospital's plans.