Hospital reveals newly renovated patient room
Stephens Memorial Hospital unveiled a newly remodeled patient room with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon, Sept. 28.
The floor of the bathroom in the remodeled patient room at Stephens Memorial Hospital is heated. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)
The room was renovated and furnished with funds raised by the SMH Auxiliary, aka the Pink Ladies, and a grant obtained by the hospital. The room will be used as a hospice room, but when there are no hospice patients in the hospital, it will be used as a regular patient room, SMH administrator Matt Kempton said.
The room has new tile, including a heated bathroom floor. The work on the room was done by SMH staff members Marty Dover, Ronnie Cooper and Pete Cooper.
Also new to the room is the hospital bed which has a built in scale so that the patient’s weight can be monitored automatically, Auxiliary members said.
Kempton said that the hospital would like to remodel a couple of rooms every year and that they are in the process of converting most of the rooms into private rooms since today’s patients tend to prefer private rooms rather than the semi-private rooms that were common in the past.
The SMH Auxiliary raises funds throughout the year with events, such as the recent Bunco party and through sales at the hospital’s gift shop, to help with the costs of equipment, furnishings and maintenance. Last year, the auxiliary purchased a new treadmill for the hospital’s physical therapy and wellness center. In 2016, the funds they raised were used for the first room renovation at the hospital.
Kempton said, additionally, the SMH Foundation has received donations that will be used to remodel three more rooms at the hospital.
Funding for the renovation of the patient room at Stephens Memorial Hospital, including the new bed and other furnishings, was generated through Auxiliary fundraisers and a grant. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Story by Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Cutline, top photo: Stephens Memorial Hospital Auxiliary members are joined by hospital staff and Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce members for the ribbon cutting ceremony unveiling the newly renovated patient room. The room features a new bed and other furnishings, as well as new tile and other details. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
