Reid Health expanding surgical unit
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Richmond-based Reid Health has begun work to convert its current geriatric psychiatric unit into a medical surgical unit. The health system, which discontinued its inpatient geriatric psychiatric services earlier this week, says the reconfiguration will help meet the evolving needs of its patients and expand capacity of its general acute care services.
“We are seeing fewer and fewer geriatric psychiatric patients come through our doors needing inpatient care,” said Misti Foust-Cofield, Reid Health’s chief nursing officer. “This is largely because there are now expanded care options for the elderly in our area.”
The project will include 32 additional inpatient surgical beds, as well as technological and physical upgrades that Reid Health says will result in a state-of-the-art unit specializing in strokes and general surgery recovery.
“The needs of the patients we serve are evolving, and we are constantly evaluating what we need to do differently to meet those needs and provide the very best care possible,” Craig Kinyon, CEO of Reid Health, said in a written statement. “We gave considerable thought before making this change and ultimately determined transforming this unit will allow us to meet an important community need by maximizing the space we have available to treat a broader array of acute care conditions.”
According to Reid Health, it will “work closely with other providers in the region to ensure seamless coordination of care, so future geriatric psychiatric patients who need inpatient treatment can be cared for at other facilities.”
Current geriatric psychiatric clinicians and staff are expected to transition to other areas of the hospital “in the coming days and weeks,” according to the health system, including its adult psychiatric department.
Reid Health did not provide a dollar amount of the investment.