NEWPORT – A massive flooring replacement project at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital has moved into the surgery department and as a result some elective surgeries and procedures are being delayed to March.
The hospital has four operating rooms and 14 pre-op admitting rooms. Facility director Jon Conner said workers will seal off half of the surgery department to replace the flooring and then will seal off the other side to complete the work.
The work in the surgery department is expected to be completed by March 3.
An elective surgery are those planned in advance and is not for an urgent or life-threatening condition, the hospital said in a news release. Examples include total joint replacement, colonoscopy and cataract surgery.
Work to remove and replace flooring throughout the hospital began last June and is expected to be completed in August. To minimize disruption to patients and staff, work is being done in phases and in small sections at a time.
Soon after the new hospital building opened in 2019, it became apparent that there were widespread flooring problems. Through mediation between Samaritan and the contractors, a financial settlement was reached to cover the cost of repairs at no cost to hospital district taxpayers.
