Hospital officials cut the ribbon for the opening of the new hospital 10 years ago. From right are then CEO John McClellan; Tom Smart, hospital board member then and now; Dr. Luiz Nascimento, who remains on staff and Abbie Covington, hospital board member then and now.
On Feb. 20, 2000 SRMC made the transition from Hamlet Hospital on Vance Street to a site overlooking U.S. 74 Business. It took a little hardship and a lot of work, according to Hazel Seibles, former marketing director and now program director for the wound care center.
“I remember it being a tremendous amount of work,” Seibles said. “There are so many things you don’t think about on a daily basis.”
Seigles recalls having to document every patient that rolled, walked or was wheeled through the doors of the newly opened hospital to verify their arrival.
“It was a safety measure,” Seibles said.
Seibles said the biggest thing about working at Sandhills Regional is being able to say she works in a new state-of-the-art hospital.
“It was amazing to be there at that time,” Seigles said.
Dr. Fred McQueen has been a part of the health care profession in Hamlet since the mid 1970s and says with the new hospital, the biggest change was simply “bigger space and nicer facilities.” He serves as the Chief of Staff.
“In the smaller hospital, we were a closer, smaller staff and right on top of each other,” McQueen said. “When we moved, we had more space to spread out. It was an adjustment.”
Despite the changes, both McQueen and Seigles said the transition was a smooth one.
“People always asked, ‘Why move to a new hospital?’, but when I got here, I knew why,” Seibles said.
“We shifted right on over and didn’t miss a beat,” McQueen said.
For McQueen one of the greatest accomplishments was the approval of plans to expand from 64 beds to 70 along with the upcoming fixed-base MRI machine.
McQueen says the biggest threat facing SRMC, or any hospital for that matter, will be the decisions made about healthcare reform and just how it’s going to affect patients and others in need of treatment.
“I am more than honored to be at the helm of this great hospital as it celebrates 10 years as Sandhills Regional Medical Center in this state-of-the-art replacement facility,” said Michael J. Davis, chief executive officer. “This hospital has a rich history in this county and we are striving to continue its tradition of providing excellent healthcare now and in the years ahead.”
“We’re really the best kept secret this side of the Mississippi,” McQueen joked.
Staff writer Bryan Stewart can be reached at 997-3111 ext. 15 or by e-mail at bstewart@yourdailyjournal.com.
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