PMH unveils renovated pediatric unit
BRAWLEY — The Pioneers Memorial Hospital Foundation helped check another item off the healthcare district’s wish list with the newly completed renovation of the hospital’s pediatric unit.
The results of the $105,000 project were unveiled to the public at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Tuesday.
The current pediatric unit, which has been in use at the hospital since 1985, hadn’t seen a major renovation in 25 years, said PMH Pediatrics Manager Yolanda Smith, who has worked in the unit from the beginning.
Bill Gates, who has been a member of the PMH Foundation Board of Trustees since 1983, acknowledged the facilities were looking dated and “run-down” from constant use. They were overdue for a facelift, he said.
Indeed, most of the improvements made in the unit were aesthetic in nature: fresh paint, including the addition of a number of wall murals; new flooring; new doors to every room; improved lighting and the addition of a play room for kids.
The project as originally proposed was estimated at $85,000, but Ryan Kelley, acting in his capacity as PMHD’s associate administrator for support services, later approached the PMH Foundation board with a request to add the purchase of two Stryker pediatric cribs and six fold-out chairs/sleepers for parents to the project. The cribs, which are highly adaptable to a variety of medical needs, cost $7,500 each, Gates said, while the chairs go for about $650 apiece.
The foundation effectively funded 100 percent of the project.
“We were proud to do it,” Gates said. The PMH Foundation has yet to determine what its next project will be for the healthcare district, he said. Its most immediate concern is finishing up preparations for its annual Gala and art auction, to be held this year Oct. 18 on the hospital grounds. The annual event is one of the foundation’s major fundraisers. The theme for this year’s Gala is “Here’s to Our Health.”