Truman VA Fiscal Year 2018; Modernization

Dear Colleagues,

As we near the end of Fiscal Year 2018, I plan to share our successes from the past year through daily messages. We as a team have a lot to be proud of in terms of accomplishments. Here at Truman VA, we are involved in an unprecedented move toward modernization – and by that I don’t just mean our facilities. Modernization involves not only infrastructure, but also equipment and services. In short, it’s using the latest tools and practices to provide our Veterans with the best care.

Today, however, I do want to focus on our facilities and how we’ve made great strides in the modernization of multiple areas.

Our first major facility project in FY18 was our new Intensive Care Unit. The new unit, which was activated on Nov. 15, 2017, increased the number of ICU beds from 12 to 14, and added an additional 12,842 square feet to the facility. Each room has its own private restroom; sliding doors for a quieter, more private environment; and larger space to accommodate furniture for family members who desire extended visitations.

Less than three months later, we activated our new Surgical Inpatient Unit on Feb. 7, 2018. The number of beds in this new unit increased from 16 to 18. All 18 beds are in private rooms, and like the new ICU, the Surgical Inpatient Unit is equipped with leading-edge vital sign monitors for automatic patient data entry. Additionally, every room in both units has a patient lift system for access to the main room and private restroom. This also protects staff, ensuring their ability to safely handle patients and prevent injuries to themselves.

The vacated space on the sixth floor, where both units were located before their move to the third floor, is now being renovated. The new space will be converted into administrative office space for Human Resources, Quality Management, Credentialing and Executive Leadership. The total cost for this renovation is $4,151,664.

On Aug. 6, 2018, Truman VA began construction to expand the current parking structure. The $8.7 million expansion project will result in a four-story; 376,483 square-foot structure that will provide our patients and staff with an additional 684 parking spaces. In other words, the expansion will almost triple Truman VA’s available parking. The garage expansion project is expected to be completed in October 2019 after 15 months of construction.

Another construction project currently underway is the Ambulatory Care Addition. Ambulatory care is a way to provide Veterans with a wide range of care and services, such as same-day medical procedures, that are performed in an outpatient setting. Truman VA’s Ambulatory Care Addition will provide new, state-of-the-art space for services in addition to medical procedures, such as examination rooms for diagnosis, post-op care and other methods of treatment on an outpatient basis.

This project will expand the Ambulatory Care and Dental clinic spaces by adding a third floor to the northwest side of the hospital. The Ambulatory Care Addition will be a two-phase project resulting in 15 dental treatment rooms, 18 examination rooms and 14 hematology/oncology infusion bays. Phase one is expected to be completed in the spring of 2019 at a cost of $9.1 million. Phase two is still undetermined. However, the cost of phase two will be approximately $2 million.

Construction and lease of a new 10,476 square-foot community-based outpatient clinic in Jefferson City is underway. The new, larger facility will not only accommodate additional Primary Care providers, but also increases mental health, podiatry, optometry and other new services that cannot presently be provided at the current site. We held a ground-breaking ceremony at the facility location in February 2018, and activation is planned for January 2019. 

An expansion project to Truman VA’s Pharmacy and Lobby will begin soon. This project will involve the construction of a two-story addition on the northeast corner of the facility to house a new outpatient pharmacy on the first floor and a new eye clinic with 22 exam rooms. Additionally, this project will renovate the main lobby to provide a more welcoming and open main entrance to our hospital. This project was awarded in September 2018 for $7.5 million. This is a phased project with an overall completion date expected to be in Spring of 2020.

Another upcoming construction project is Truman VA’s new Community Living Center. Truman VA has completed the design-phase of the project to relocate the center to the northwest portion of the campus. This project will cost approximately $8.3 million to construct a new 14-bed facility, with plans in phase two to ultimately accommodate 35 Veterans. Completion of this project will provide residents a more home-like setting and is critical to implementing the facility’s master plan, which is eventually to relocate 4-Med and our Step-down Unit to the third floor. This project is ready for an early FY19 award, with a completion date expected to be in Spring of 2020.

Another future planned construction project is a Fisher House. Truman VA was approved to construct an on-site Fisher House, that is projected to open in 2020. A new Fisher House will allow family members to stay on-campus and take part in their Veteran’s healing process.

Technology and equipment procurements also are important to providing state-of-the-art care for our Veterans. Despite significant budget constraints in FY18, Truman VA Services successfully partnered with Finance and Logistics to meet equipment needs that advance a modern standard of care. 

Although we did not approach the level of new and replacement equipment achieved in FY17—a banner year that enabled major equipment upgrades totaling $12.3 million—Truman VA was able to purchase nearly all equipment requested by our Service Chiefs in 2018. Successful FY18 technology acquisitions included 97 equipment systems totaling 240 equipment items at a cost of $6.1 million. This includes $1,140,123 for 77 operational equipment items, $3,998,671 for 7 high-cost/high-tech items, and $560,129 for 13 research equipment acquisitions. Some of the highlights in this year’s equipment upgrades include a new Computed Tomography (CT) system, an ultrasonic scanning system, Alice diagnostic sleep system, A-dec dental treatment system, Kavo dental laboratory system, lithotripsy machine, hypothermia temperature management system, vital signs monitors, operating room table, patient ceiling lifts, and bariatric recliners and sleep beds.

Additionally, we currently are upgrading OR 5, which is our Hybrid Room with the latest technology that also will allow us greater versatility in the room. For those who do not know, a hybrid operating room is a surgical theater that is equipped with advanced medical imaging devices such as fixed C-Arms, CT scanners or MRI scanners. These imaging devices enable minimally-invasive surgery. The $939,000 project involves installation of a $1.8 million state-of-the-art Philips Flex Move/Stryker integration operating room system.

In terms of infrastructure projects, Truman VA designed and was awarded more than $6.7 million in infrastructure improvement projects. These projects focused on improving safety and energy efficiency throughout our facilities. These projects included replacing electrical distribution gear, upgrading the facility chiller plant, replacing more than two-thirds of the facilities lighting with LED fixtures, replacing roofs, and replacing failing concrete. 

As you can see, we have a lot of work that is going on here at Truman, and I am proud of our FY18 accomplishments. Your efforts for our Veterans make this progress possible and I want to thank each of you for your work – and for choosing Truman VA!

DAVID ISAACKS, FACHE