ILWACO — Progress is being made on several capital projects at Ocean Beach Health as part of the bond that was approved nearly two years ago, while design work continues on the much-anticipated urgent care clinic.

Construction is currently underway on multiple projects that are being supported by the $10 million bond that more than 70% of voters approved in August 2023, including work on the nurses station and pharmacy and expansion of the hospital’s laboratory. Those upgrades, according to OBH officials, are expected to be completed over the next few months.

Lab expansion, OR refresh

In late April, OBH began construction on the expansion of the hospital’s laboratory after receiving final approval from the Washington State Department of Health. It was the first project funded by the bond dollars to begin the construction phase, with INLINE Construction out of Aloha, Oregon serving as the project’s contractor.

The expansion will rearrange existing space and add 600 square feet to the lab, which is located on the main floor of the hospital in Ilwaco. This extra space, officials say, will double the blood-draw capacity, add a separate microbiology room meant to increase staff safety, and will better accommodate staffing levels needed to offer upgraded lab services around the clock.

“This expansion will give our amazing lab technicians and the lab assistants who
provide blood-draw services the space and resources they need to continue delivering
reliable, precision-driven care to our community,” said OBH CEO Merry-Ann Keane in a press release.

Laboratory service staff at OBH collected and tested 12,615 outpatient lab samples and completed nearly 305,000 lab tests in 2024 — or 834 tests per day, on average, which Keane called “remarkable” for a rural, public hospital of OBH’s size. Nine technologists and five lab assistants are fanned out across the hospital and draw stations in Ocean Park and Naselle.

One project that is proving to be more complicated than expected is the “refresh” of the hospital’s operating room. Carol Zahorsky, OBH Senior Director of Community Engagement, said the project is “requiring coordination with multiple entities and precise engineering.”

When completed, the operating room will be able to support expanded surgical services and provide a space that better meets the needs of the general surgeon and the OR staff.

“The vision for a modern, state-of-the-art surgical suite that will serve the community for many years keeps this project moving forward,” Zahorsky said.

Nurses station, pharmacy

Ground was broken just a couple of weeks later on the second bond-funded project earlier this month, which covers the expansion and modernization of the nurses station and pharmacy at the hospital.

The intent of the project is to improve patient care and communication, as well as supporting better inpatient and outpatient flow and improving the workflow for nursing staff. Work will include a semi-private office for the charge nurse, and provide the emergency department’s clinical nurse manager with an “appropriate” workspace.

“Our nurses have been closely involved in planning the design of the new space,” said OBH Chief Nursing Officer Brenda Sharkey. “This project directly reflects their feedback and will allow us to continue providing exceptional care in an environment that supports both patients and staff.”

The pharmacy will remain within the acute care department, but will be moved to a different section to accommodate for the expanded nursing station. The expansion will support pharmacy operations with a modernized space, OBH said, while also improving efficiency and pharmacy services. Both the nursing station and pharmacy will also receive new flooring, solid-surface countertops and fresh paint.

Construction is occurring in phases for this project in order to minimize impacts on patient care, with OBH saying bed availability “will vary slightly throughout the project.” No more than three patient rooms will be unavailable at any time, and noise-reducing headphones and earplugs will be available for patients upon request.

INLINE Construction is also serving as the contractor for this project. Along with bond funding, work is also being supported by grant dollars from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, a Vancouver-based nonprofit.

Urgent care update

Design work remains ongoing for the addition of an urgent care clinic — dubbed Express Care by OBH — at the clinic in Ilwaco, according to Zahorsky. Ocean Beach Health has been working with Boulder Associates, an architecture firm, on the project.

The renovation of the Ilwaco Medical Clinic and the addition of an urgent care clinic were two of the headliner projects when the bond faced voters two summers ago. Currently, the nearest urgent care facility for those in south Pacific County is across the river at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria.

Plans initially called for Express Care to share a wall and be housed within the Ilwaco clinic’s building, but has since been tweaked. A new structure will now be built just north of the clinic, and the two buildings will be connected with hallways.

In order to make room for the new facility, Zahorsky said that the gray house and several nearby storage buildings in the area will be removed. The clinic itself will also be remodeled to increase space for provider and patient exams.

“The new design realizes a significant cost-savings in that the existing Ilwaco clinic does not need to be reengineered with seismic upgrades,” Zahorsky said. “Building a separate Express Care facility also minimizes disruption to ongoing clinic operations.”