Commission leaders says Regional One improvements will be top priority
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - There’s a new focus on redeveloping Regional One, with the new leadership of the Shelby County Commission calling it a key issue for the next four years.
Earlier this year, hospital officials revealed they’re in talks with the county to formalize a massive modernization plan.
Many of the buildings on the Regional One campus are 40 to 50 years old, but any solutions won’t come cheap. The effort could cost more than $300 million.
Commissioners will be spending half a million dollars on a study to examine healthcare in Shelby County.
“I think Regional One will be our big issue this term,” said Van Turner, Chairman of the Shelby County Commission.
Critical needs are at hand for a critical resource. Doctors and nurses at Regional Medical Center have saved countless lives over the past decades, but now staff will be turning to county leaders to chart a new path for the increasingly outdated hospital.
“This commission and this mayor will have to see what happens with Regional One in the next four years,” said Turner.
As part of a county healthcare study, Vice-Chair Mark Billingsley said CEOs of the area hospital groups will likely be called to testify before county leaders.
“How we deliver that service needs to be a community conversation between our largest hospitals and the users of healthcare services,” said Billingsley.
With estimates for new construction of facilities on the Regional One campus reaching at least $300 million, Billingsley said the study may reveal ways to consolidate services.
“Do most of the services at The Med need to be focused, for example, on trauma or the burn center,” he said, “And maybe you take prenatal and move that to a facility that makes more sense.”
Shelby County funded Regional One with nearly $29.5 million in the last budget – an uptick of 1 million from the year prior.
The county is also constructing a new health department with a price tag of $25 million. Plans for the new facility reflect the department’s desire to provide more accessible services to county patients.
Regional One Health released the following statement when we inquired for this story:
“Regional One Health’s main campus in the medical district is comprised of several buildings providing inpatient and outpatient health services to this community. This location is home to specialized services in trauma, burn, neonatal care and high-risk obstetrics that are unique in this region. The buildings on this campus are aging and in need of modernization. Regional One Health looks forward to working with our Shelby County leaders to address the facility needs. We appreciate their support and interest in meeting these needs for the health of this community. We are committed to remaining in the medical district and creating efficient spaces to provide quality patient care.”
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