ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- Hardin Memorial Hospital is getting a $2 million renovation.
The funds will come from the hospital's budget. In January, the board voted to use the $2 million to renovate the Progressive Care Unit (PCU) on the second floor.
The PCU is a transitional floor, caring for patients who don't need to be in intensive care but still typically need to be monitored for several nights. According to hospital staff, several of the patients on that unit are recovering from strokes or cardiac issues.
"This investment is really an investment in the care we provide our community," said Steve White, assistant vice president of operations for Hardin Memorial.
The renovations will include new flooring, fresh paint and an updated nurses' station. The biggest advancement will be an extra layer of privacy for patients. Right now, there are 34 beds on the PCU floor. Of those, only two are in private rooms. Everyone else gets a roommate.
"So two patients sharing one room and also sharing one bathroom, not ideal at all," said White.
With the volume of patients seen on the PCU floor, anyone admitted is likely to share a room during their whole stay, which is usually several days.
"(It's) one of our very busiest floors in the hospital," White said. "A lot of patients coming into that floor and a lot of patients discharged from that floor."
The hope is that new private rooms will improve a patient's overall stay.
"Just much better for care," said White. "Much better for infection control and prevention, helps us in that, privacy is a big deal to our patients."
White said several of the beds on the PCU floor will be moved around during renovations in order to make each room private, but this project will not cut down on the number of patients the hospital can care for on the PCU floor.
"It'll be something that's good today and good many years into the future," he said.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.
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