Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital is undergoing a $6.4 million renovation project, bringing improved patient care and a new aesthetic to key spaces inside the hospital. Phase 1 of the project, which was completed in 2022, included the construction of a new birthing unit. Phases 2-4, which are currently under construction, will include the renovation of an existing space into a new Med-Surg Unit and improvements to 20 patient rooms on two hospital wings.
The recently-completed Dixon Family Birthing Center is a 6,900 SF first-floor unit created in space previously occupied by administrative offices and staff workstations. The five-bed suite provides four new LDRP (Labor, Delivery, Recovery & Postpartum) Rooms, one with a birthing tub, and a fifth postpartum room, along with appropriate clinical and staff support spaces. These include a new nurse station with a dictation room, exam room, nursery, medication room, nourishment area, manager’s office, break room, and clean and soiled utility rooms.
The new Birthing Center freed up second-floor space previously occupied by the hospital’s OB Suite to become a new 4,500 SF Med-Surg Unit. Now under construction, the new Med-Surg Unit will care for patients who are preparing for or recovering from surgery, expanding the current capacity by 7 private beds. This includes one new, fully accessible patient room with a private bathroom, a fully renovated patient support core, and upgrades to existing patient rooms.
In addition, patient rooms on the hospital’s second-floor south and west wings are all receiving upgrades. The renovated 7,115 SF space will provide single rooms for every patient, with new flooring, ceilings, wall finishes, and lighting. To maximize emergency flexibility, rooms that were once double occupancy will retain existing headwall outlets, allowing them to swing to double occupancy should the need arise.
The Med-Surg and Patient Room project phases are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023. These renovations are part of a larger effort by Northern Light Health to invest in its facilities to better meet current and future needs. The projects are designed to improve the patient experience, enhance the work environment for staff, and support Northern Light Health’s mission of providing high-quality, community-based, patient-centered care.