MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- With a wall breaking ceremony, the 5th Medical Group marked the start of the construction phase of its $37.8 million clinic modernization project Jan. 17.
“This was a total team effort across the base,” said Mark Cory, 5th Medical Support Squadron facility manager. “We couldn’t have done any of it without cooperation from various base agencies.”
The project has been going on since November 2017, and is scheduled to finish November 2019. Throughout construction, various clinics within the building will be moving around.
“We’re minimizing the impact to patients as much as possible,” said Maj. Wendy Franke, 5th MDG clinic administrator. “We will continuously have appropriate signage in the front with current locations of moved clinics.”
Some clinics will be reducing the intake of patients while others will refer them downtown until the facility is able to provide the support needed.
“We want to make sure we maintain safety and quality of care throughout the facility,” said Franke. “That’s always our ultimate goal.”
According to Franke, these renovations will increase efficiency within the building for both employees and patients.
“The building was initially built as a hospital, so the structure was designed for inpatients,” said Franke. “Everything is spaced out. We want to ensure we have an appropriate flow so we are utilizing our energy efficiently.”
The building, originally built in 1988, began transitioning from an inpatient to an outpatient clinic in the 1990s. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that surgeries ceased, completing the switch. Many rooms within the facility have gone unused due to this change, Franke said.
For more information on the project, follow the 5th Medical Group on Facebook.