PORT ANGELES — The public can take a sneak peek in two weeks at how a new medical office building will look.
Olympic Medical Center CEO Eric Lewis told hospital commissioners Wednesday he’ll present plans for the 39,000-square-foot facility at their April 15 meeting.
The session will start at 6 p.m. in Linkletter Hall of the hospital, 939 Caroline St.
Lewis said OMC hoped to put the $18.2 million project up for bids in May, with construction starting this summer, preceded by razing buildings across Caroline Street from the hospital.
Meanwhile, commissioners approved buying a new X-ray machine for the new building and one for its Primary Care Clinic.
They also hired a psychiatric registered nurse practitioner who will divide hours between the Primary Care Clinic and Peninsula Behavioral Health, 118 E. Eighth St.
Rapid Treatment Unit
In other action Wednesday, commissioners approved the $124,371 necessary to keep the Rapid Treatment Unit open at the hospital emergency room.
The money will pay for nurse practitioner or physician assistant to staff the unit from noon to midnight seven days a week.
The unit, which started a three-month trial period Jan. 5, diverts patients with minor illnesses and injuries who formerly faced long waits at the emergency room that sometimes led them to leave without treatment.
“It’s a way to really decompress our waiting area,” said Lorraine Wall, RN, chief nursing officer.
The service eventually will be replaced by a walk-in clinic in the new office building, which will occupy property that presently has small medical buildings on land bordered by Caroline, Washington, Georgiana and Race streets.
The Rapid Treatment Unit currently serves as many as 18 patients a day and has cut waiting room times to as short as 30 minutes, Wall said.
Commissioners Wednesday also appointed Lewis as OMC’s representative on the reorganized board of directors of the Clallam County Economic Development Council.
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Reporter James Casey can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jcasey@peninsuladailynews.com
