This fall, NMC will begin using a mobile sterile processing unit to both restore our surgical capacity as quickly as possible, and to enhance our ability to redesign the Surgical Services Department.

Earlier this year, NMC paused and then limited elective surgeries as we worked to resolve increased findings of particulates in sterilized equipment trays / packs used in surgical cases.

A great deal of work has been done to address the issue. Just a few of the many steps we have taken include the installation of a new water filtration system, purchase of new cleaning equipment, and work with expert partners and other hospitals around the nation. That work will continue, as it allows us to continue our day-to-day operations.

NMC has returned to partial surgical capacity, but in order to meet community need, the hospital must accelerate our plans for change. We are choosing to take these challenges and turn them into an opportunity for growth and advancement.

“This project and all the focus on our Surgical Services processes have been an enormous amount of work,” said President and CEO Peter J. Wright, FACHE. “I want to thank everyone who has rolled up their sleeves to help, including our Central Sterile team, surgeons, operating room nurses and techs, everyone in Surgical Services, Facilities and many more. It has been an incredible display of teamwork and collaboration.”

Why now?

Healthcare transformation at the state level holds the possibility of more care coming to NMC because we are a low-cost organization with a mission of providing high-quality care. We want to be positioned to grow and evolve in a way that secures our future and serves our community.

What is a “Mobile Unit?”

A mobile unit provides all the equipment necessary to support state-of-the-art central sterile processes from decontamination through sterilization. It will allow us to empty the current space in the hospital to complete the installation and upgrades needed for the long-term solution. It will also allow us to plan an expansion of the surgical services department to support anticipated growth and community need.

The unit itself is a tractor trailer, which expands to three times its traveling width when put in place. Equipment is cleaned and sterilized inside the unit, then returned to the hospital for use. These trailers are commonly used when hospitals are doing construction on surgical departments.

NMC will work with our partner Steris for technical assistance with the installation, and NMC staff will run the unit.

Where will the Mobile Unit go?

The unit will sit on the road that loops around the hospital, to the left of the main hospital entrance. That puts the unit close to the Surgical Services Department, with a door into the unit nearby.

This will require the road that loops around the hospital to be reduced to one-way traffic. Traffic will be able travel to the Emergency Department by passing the main hospital entrance on the left. Leaving the Emergency Department parking, traffic will need to turn right and go past the Conference Center to leave campus.

How long will it take to get it up and running?

The mobile processing unit will be delivered the week of October 13.

We expect to begin using it for surgical operations this fall, but the exact timeline will be impacted by many construction and workflow considerations like: getting permits, figuring out water supply, electrical connections, constructing shelter around the unit, etc.

Will the unit restore full surgical capacity?

We expect that once the unit is up and running and our staff have been trained in the space, that we will be able to return to a full surgical schedule.

What are the plans for redesigning the surgical spaces?

NMC had already been planning for a future redesign across our campus with specific emphasis on our surgical department, including the operating rooms, central sterile spaces, storage areas and more. The need to more quickly increase our capacity for surgery meant launching a redesign sooner.

We are in the early stages of planning for both the mobile unit and the redesign of Surgical Services. At this point, plans are to design a new space that includes a permanent Reverse Osmosis Deionization water filtration system and enough washers and sterilizers to accommodate greater surgical capacity than we had before.