Fairmont Medical Center completes 3rd floor renovation and reopens all patient rooms there

FAIRMONT – WVU Medicine has completed renovations to the third floor of Fairmont Medical Center – acute care patient rooms – and reopened the entire floor this week. The Dominion Post toured Wednesday.

Aaron Yanuzo, hospital operations director, said the remodel reflects a new approach to space. The upstairs lobby located right next to the elevators, for example, is designed to be more of a more welcoming hotel space.

The floor has 42 patient beds. They replaced the old ceilings and installed new LED lighting. In the past, rooms were heated with hot water baseboards and patients could not control the room temperature. This has been replaced by regular HVAC checks and individual rooms.

Windows are another problem, he said. Rooms would be too hot or too cold depending on which side of the building the sun was shining on. The new windows are energy efficient.

The room equipment was new, installed when WVUM moved in 2000, so it was removed during the renovation and returned. But the rooms feature new hardwood floors in soothing colors, new lockers, sinks and cabinets.

Director of Nursing Catherine Mayle said the new materials used in the rooms are easier to clean.

The new center court area – with the nurses’ station – features softer, calmer tones with new cabinets and counters.

Mayle showed images all along the walls, reflecting the wildlife theme on the ground. Yanuzo said each floor has a theme. The theme of the second floor – skilled nursing rooms – is 1930s Fairmont.

The renovation happened in two phases, Yanuzo said. Each side of the floor has its own set of rooms and is called a suite. Construction on a suite began in October and was completed in January. Patients were housed and cared for on the other side.

Work on the remaining side began in February and they cut the ribbon opening the entire floor on Monday.

Work continues on the central portion of the third floor, which will become the medical oncology clinic and infusion center. “We hope to open this around this time next year,” Yanuzo said.

The second and third floors have a total of 72 beds, he said. As of Wednesday, they had about 30 patients spread across the two floors. “Staffing is critical right now. We are in the process of trying to recruit enough staff to care for that many patients. »

WVUM said in a release announcing the floor’s opening that ongoing renovations at the medical center aim to bring the facility in line with the standard of care provided at flagship JW Ruby Memorial Hospital and other system facilities .

“We are excited to continue to improve Fairmont Medical Center, bringing to life a facility and building that has played a vital role for Fairmont and Marion County for more than 50 years,” Michael Grace, president of WVU Hospitals and chief administrative officer of the WVU Health System, said in the release. “We are excited to see the next phases of our plan unfold for our patients, staff and community.

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