PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson Healthcare is well underway with its $96 million expansion.
“The construction project is going great,” Jefferson Healthcare CEO Mike Glenn said. “We’re very pleased with the project team and how things are going. It means fewer residents will have to travel to Silverdale and Seattle for specialty healthcare.
“We think local care is a big deal and look forward to expanding services.”
In the past week, two-story concrete walls were lifted into place with a crane from the foundation, where they were formed.
The undertaking has several main factors. First, the pre-existing 1965 structure on Sheridan Street in Port Townsend was deemed by engineers as seismically and structurally inept. Also, the hospital has grown significantly in the past decade, from 590 employees to 920, and net operating revenues have gone from about $88 million to $195 million, according to a presentation provided by Jacob Davidson, Jefferson Healthcare COO.
Jefferson Healthcare also wanted to grow with a number of medical services, which previously required residents to travel out of the county.
“You’re going to be able to see a doctor that you normally wouldn’t be able to see, here at home,” Davidson said.
The project has maintained a relatively close trajectory to both its projected schedule and budget, on target to be completed in July 2025.
There was a month lost to asbestos abatement, and when demolition began, contractors discovered the foundation was 4 feet deeper than the 2 feet expected based on drawings.
Aside from the challenges, crews have avoided distressing the existing structures that are still in use.
The hospital has maintained full operational status throughout all stages of the project, in some cases increasing volumes for services.
Davidson said hospital officials have yet to receive any major complaints about the project negatively impacting visitors or employees despite the noise which accompanies construction projects of this scale.
One change has been the temporary loss of what was the hospital cafeteria. They have had to limit the service, mostly to employees. Space has been reduced, with the hospital retrofitting a conference room for use.
Meanwhile, food production has been pushed to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, where kitchen staff prepare food to be transported to the hospital.
Davidson said the fairgrounds will be left with a high-quality kitchen when the hospital operation moves on.
In addition, the hospital sourced its concrete needs from Port Hadlock’s Cotton Shold, reducing the project’s carbon footprint.
What to expect
Overall, the new buildings make up about 56,000 square feet, nearly doubling the previous building’s 30,000 square feet.
Planners have put an emphasis on designing intuitive wayfinding.
“If you go to basically any hospital, it’s almost like a zigzag trying to find your way and we actually did some straight lines,” Davidson said. “Hopefully, knock on wood, that will help make patients not get as lost.”
The new buildings are set to host several new programs previously unavailable in Jefferson County. New services will include radiation oncology, pulmonology, ENT and neurology.
Staff cross-referenced data for referrals and received feedback from physicians and the community before they decided on which programs to add.
The hospital will install a linear accelerator (LINAC) machine for radiation, the first in Washington state, Davidson said. The structure housing the machine will contain the radiation with 6 feet of concrete walls, floors and ceilings, he said.
The building also will house a new MRI suite, expanded OB/GYN services, dermatology, hand and plastics and wounds clinics.
A new nurse’s administration space will be next to the existing building. There will be a far more spacious cafeteria, housing the Garden Row Cafe, which will once again be open to the public.
The hospital also will have an outdoor courtyard and several small outdoor spaces or healing gardens. It also will expand its parking with an added 120 stalls.
Davidson said the expansion in programming will require hiring about 75 additional employees. The hospital has signed a neurologist, is making an offer for a pulmonologist, interviewing an ENT provider this week, and it is near to making an offer for a radiation oncologist as well, he said.
The hospital expects an additional 8,000 annual clinic visitors, Davidson said.
“At the end of the day, this is just going to provide better access to care for the community, which we’re thrilled about,” he said. “I think the community is really excited about it. I know our providers are really excited about it.”
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
