Members of the El Dorado community came out Tuesday morning to the Medical Center of South Arkansas (MCSA) to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated lobby.
The hospital is currently undergoing a multimillion dollar renovation, with phase I of the renovations projected to be complete by summer.
Phase I includes five projects, four of which have now been completed, including the Robert C. Tommey Conference Center, which held its grand opening in November, and the remodel to the cafeteria, now Cafe 870, which was also completed in November.
The lobby, which is inside the front entrance, now includes a welcome desk, chairs and a charging station for visitors to use while waiting.
Prior to the renovations, the front entrance featured the gift shop, which has now been moved to a location down the hall of the lobby. Along with unveiling the lobby, MCSA CEO Scott Street announced new uniforms for the auxiliary staff that work the gift shop. The new uniforms are a dark blue, which matches MCSA’s color scheme.
Also included in phase 1 are renovations of basement offices and expansions of the emergency room, both of which should be completed by mid-May.
Street said he expects there to be an unveiling every month for four months start in June. Two weeks ago, MCSA opened two areas of patient rooms that have been renovated to match the new aesthetic. Street said there’s several more collections of patient rooms that are still being worked on, which likely won’t be completely finished for another two and a half years because of the number of rooms that need done.
“The community deserves it and that’s why we’re proud to do this,” he said. “It’s for the community, those who need healthcare and those who have gone elsewhere in the past, we want them to stay here.”
Street said about a year and a half ago, around when he started, he had a conversation with a group that told him MCSA was dying and that was going to happen.
“I beg to differ because here we are today,” Street said. “We’ve opened a number of new services, new things, and we will continue to do that. This is a marathon, it’s a journey we’re on, it’s not a sprint it’s a marathon, but it’s one step at a time. I found something that I remember thinking after that meeting and it’s a quote. It says ‘we cannot let detractors define us, but we can let them motivate us’ and that is simply what we’re doing as an organization.”
Street recognized that people may find it silly to celebrate a lobby, but to him it’s a little step in a series of steps to make MCSA go ‘from good to great.’
“This is just one cog in the wheel with many many spokes that we’ve started rolling out,” he said. “It’s exciting to create a warm, friendly atmosphere for those that come into the hospital.”
Board member Wayne Gibson said that to see the work being done in MCSA – both the renovation and the relationships with other medical organizations across the state – is encouraging and something to be proud of.
“I never would have thought this (the lobby) would have looked like this a few weeks ago,” Gibson said. “Even coming in here every month. We’re proud and I know you’re proud of what we have here. I’m doubly proud because last month I had a stent here in the Medical Center of South Arkansas and I received the very best of care.”
Michael Shine may be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook @MichaelAZShine for updates on Union County school news.