St. Luke's Quakertown to undergo $400,000 rennovation

QUAKERTOWN, PA (1-24-08) On Thursday, January 24, 2008, St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital President Ed Nawrocki hosted a press conference to announce renovation plans for patient rooms and new beds which are necessary to support a growing community and enhance patient care. The press conference honored United States Congressman Patrick Murphy who secured more than $400,000 in federal funds to support the renovation project. The Congressman obtained the funds from the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2008 which was signed into law by President Bush on December 26, 2007.
“As the Upper Bucks community continues to grow and prosper, it’s critical that local institutions like St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital keep pace through expansions, renovations and technology upgrades,” explained hospital President Ed Nawrocki. “We want to grow with the community so that we can continue to give our patients and guests the best service and top notch medical care in a modern facility,” Nawrocki continued.
Nawrocki was first introduced to US Congressman Murphy last January. Congressman Murphy then made a special visit to tour St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital in April of 2007. “I thought Congressman Murphy might stay one hour but he ended up touring and chatting with folks for three hours. He met with board members and medical staff, nurses, technologists, housekeepers and stopped to talk with patients all along the way. He brought a listening ear, enthusiasm and an interest in the Upper Bucks community,” Nawrocki said.
During the tour, Nawrocki shared with the Congressman the hospital’s plans to renovate 28 patient rooms and purchase 40 new beds on the medical/surgical and ICU care units. “I shared that the total cost would be approximately $1.2 million. Congressman Murphy was fully engaged. He seemed genuinely concerned about the enormous capital investments required by hospitals to keep pace with community needs,” Nawrocki stated.
Nawrocki observed that community hospitals have significant capital needs. He stated that such funding helps accelerate building projects necessary to maintain high quality care and are therefore an appropriate federal funding outlay.
“We need federal funding to keep growing with our community,” Nawrocki said and added that St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital was the second fastest growing hospital in suburban Philadelphia for the past two years, according to the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). The Quakertown-based community hospital’s patient satisfaction scores in the Emergency Department are consistently in the top 10% and with over $40 million invested by St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network (whose flagship hospital is in Bethlehem), St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital is in a position to continue attracting top-notch physicians, according to Nawrocki. The capital funding also allows hospital administrators to continue making critical investments in state-of-the-art technology.
“Congressman Murphy fought through a difficult process to keep our requests in this Bill and for that we are all grateful,” Nawrocki concluded.
“St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital has a reputation of taking care of Upper Bucks County and I am proud to have secured this funding to help continue modernizing their hospital,” said Congressman Patrick Murphy. “The doctors, nurses and administrators put their patients first and I join them as they fight to provide health care to those who need it. Our community is growing and we need to continue to support this rapidly expanding hospital.”
Clinical Coordinator on the Medical/Surgical Care Unit, Kelly Rapp, explained the details of the renovation project. “Over the past 12 years of working here at St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital, I’ve lifted hundreds if not thousands of patients out of bed for weighing and transport. The new beds are fully adjustable for easier patient transport and in bed patient weighing means no more lifting patients in and out of bed,” Rapp stated.
In addition to being more comfortable, the new beds will also meet stringent quality and safety standards. Alarms are set for fall risk patients. Other features include side rails with embedded controls for better efficiency; pressure release helps reduce the incidence and severity of bed sores by maintaining skin integrity.
The funding will also be used to fully renovate 28 medical-surgical and ICU patient care rooms with new flooring, window treatments and furniture made specifically to function in a hospital environment. According to Rapp, “when finished, all rooms will be more modern and provide the ultimate comfort and healing environment as well as supporting current and future medical systems.”
Executive Director of the Upper Perkiomen Valley Chamber of Commerce, Board member and Capital Campaign Chair of St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital, Luanne Stauffer, added, “As Ed Nawrocki mentioned, hospitals these days have a significant need for capital to support information technology, safety and construction. At St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital, as with all not-for-profit hospitals, we depend heavily on the generosity of donors and funding from federal and state government. Capital campaigns allow us to achieve fundraising goals and this federal funding will support these efforts as well.”
Stauffer then introduced the President of Quakertown National Bank and Chairman of the Board of Trustees at St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital, Tom Bisko. He said that this hospital has been in the community for the past 80 years and acts of lawmakers like Congressman Murphy will ensure it remains for another 80 years.
“St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network has invested more than $40 million into this community hospital to ensure Quakertown folks have top-notch medical care close to home. We’re the second fastest growing hospital in all of suburban Philadelphia. Federal funds like that provided by this great Congressman help ensure we are here another 80 years and that we can continue to meet the needs of our growing community,” Bisko added.
“Congressman Murphy: I continue to be impressed by your support for this community and its hospital. On behalf of its citizens, thank you for your determination and support for the Upper Bucks community,” Bisko closed.