BOND COUNTY HEALTH BOARD MEETS WITH MASTER PLANNER
Dennis Calbert, from Korte Company, met with members of the Bond County Health Board, Wednesday evening, for a discussion centering on the Master Plan for the health department’s new facility site.
It was determined that the first step to move forward in the development , would be to contact the other entities originally approached, and ask for a firm yes or no as to their interest in developing something on the site. All of these had been invited to the Wednesday night meeting, but Anna Oestreich from the Bond County Senior Center was the only extra organization represented at the meeting. Anna said she felt the senior center has a definite interest in the site and thought it would be a good fit with the health department, but money would be an issue.
Mr. Calbert said the legal and topographical surveys are being done and should be available in a few weeks. The topographical survey will be very important because it ties in with storm drainage for the entire development and thus can determine the location of the new facility.
Health Department Director, Maxine Barth, said she felt the new facility would need at least 20 thousand square feet, with an additional 5,000 square feet for a basement. The Senior Center would need about 10,000 square feet. With a rough idea of building cost, the estimated expense of a new facility would be about three million dollars for the health department and add another million and a half, if done in combination with the senior center. The possibility of having a walking trail on site was also discussed.
The next meeting with Mr. Calbert is set for Wednesday, October 3rd.
GREENVILLE REGIONAL HOSPITAL TAKES A NEW LOOK AT X-RAYS
Starting here in September, all x-rays taken at Greenville Regional Hospital are available digitally. The PACS system, which stands for Picture Archive and Communication System, is now up and running at Greenville Regional Hospital. The PACS system will allow x-rays to be viewed in a nearly real-time basis. Patients will also be able to have CDs or DVDs containing their x-rays. The Hospital also has mobile carts that work as viewing stations in the Operating room, the Emergency room and in the clinics. These mobile carts will allow quicker displaying of images to the physicians, nurses and specialists. As well, the images can be sent over the internet for further examination, and in some cases to specialists.
The new system came with a price tag of $250,000, including two different servers. The Servers will be kept apart from one another, to guard against loss from fire or other natural disasters and a hard copy back up is made everyday to safeguard records. The PACS systems are also protected against Viruses and Hackers to safeguard patients’ medical information.
NEW ENTRANCE AT GREENVILLE ELEMENTARY
It's been over two weeks since the start of the school year for area students. Greenville Elementary Principal Scott Paisley talks about some of the changes that occurred in his building over the summer. He said that it has always been a challenge for parents to walk into the school and figure out where the office is located. The mezzanine design is a nice one, but makes it hard to figure out where to enter the upper level in the center of the school. New this year is a receptionist area at the old Kindergarten door. And that south parking lot is now 80% open for parents and visitors to the school.
The door at the new reception area is now the main entrance to the Elementary School. Paisley said the Back to School Night, that they held a week before school started, allowed everyone to become aware of the changes. He said it will take parents and students a little time to get used to, but believes it's been working great and will continue to do so.
And with the school year in full swing, students and faculty will begin preparing for this months upcoming NASA Family Night on the 25th.
