LOCK HAVEN — Picture a room with a flat-screen TV, fancy countertop around the sink, attractive light fixtures and cupboards, perhaps a private walk-in shower and a gorgeous view out the window. The hall outside is a pleasant cream color with wood frames around all the doors and lintels above them, wainscoting in a wood look and a bowl of flowers on a side table.
Could this be a vision of the new Fairfield Inn?
No, it's a wing in Lock Haven Hospital's Extended Care Unit, and it offers a short-term stay in comfort.
In four months, C Hall has gone from a vacant hallway stuck in the 1970s to the top of the line. It's now leading the way in a plan that will see the entire extended care unit renovated in four or five years, according to Thomas Foster, nursing home administrator for the unit.
The hospital unveiled the changes Wednesday evening at a ribbon-cutting and open house.
Wes Grand wielded a giant pair of scissors to cut the ribbon. President and CEO of the Clinton County Economic Partnership, he also is the chairman of the board for Lock Haven Hospital and recently spent months in the Extended Care Unit, recovering his health.
He referred to the TV commercial in which a fellow tells the camera, " 'Not only am I the president of the hair club, I'm also a customer,' " as Grand expressed it. "I'm in the same situation," he told the crowd in the second-floor lobby and dining room.
He praised the Extended Care Unit staff: "They're dedicated, they're compassionate, they're caring — they had to put up with me for six months. I can honestly say I would not have been able to return to my job without their caring. They'll never know how grateful I am."
Hospital CEO John Yanes said when he came to Lock Haven two and a half years ago, Foster was quick to convince him the unit needed to be renovated.
Now the first phase of the project is complete, Yanes said, and not only will it benefit future patients but also will clear the way for the new intensive care unit the hospital plans to build.
The new intensive care unit will take up some space that is part of the extended care unit, and with C Hall re-opened, the unit's capacity won't be decreased.
The 11 rooms in C Hall stand polished and nearly perfect, with new wall finishes, countertops and surfaces on the closets and drawers. The television and phone equipment were replaced, as were the heating units.
New handrails also were installed in the hallway.
The private rooms have new showers, and the wing's bathing room is a marvel of ease and technology.
It offers a shower large enough that wheelchair patients can roll right in it. There's also a pull-down seat for the more ambulatory patients.
The futuristic tub drew the open house visitors, and one remarked, "I wouldn't mind having one of those for my house."
Although it looks like a children's spaceship ride that could be found outside a department store, the Arjo tub has several nice features such as bubbles for a Jacuzzi effect. It is fully contained and watertight once the half-door is shut, and it can be raised and lowered, as Foster demonstrated, for easy access from a wheelchair and for the sake of the staff members' backs.
"The older generation doesn't like showers," he said. "They didn't grow up with them. It's something younger people prefer."
While Pam Blesh played the harp, visitors enjoyed refreshments in the dining room, which suddenly became spacious when the wall between it and the lobby was removed.
The wood around the elevators gives an added touch of elegance.
The hospital used materials from this region as much as possible, Foster said, including the wainscoting, which is made in Muncy.
Zartman Construction of Northumberland was the contractor for the $308,000 project and also will construct the new ICU.
Foster recalled his first tour of C Hall. Built in 1978, it featured wallpaper in the popular colors of lime green and browns and had bathrooms painted to match.
"The first time I opened a bathroom door and saw a bright orange wall, I said, 'Ohhhhh, boy,' " he recalled.
Now the 19 beds on the wing are much more inviting. C Hall includes three private rooms, Foster said, which will be used for someone recovering from an infection or for hospice care.
With 24-hour visiting, the extended care unit can make arrangements if family members wish to stay with a patient.
And with family members coming and going, the Wander Guard system was installed a year ago, Foster said, to keep patients in the unit and away from the elevators. A patient easily could enter an elevator and become confused about how to open the door again, he said.
"We've had to adapt as we moved into long-term care," the administrator said.
The average stay in extended care is 14 to 16 days, according to Foster, and C Hall will be used for short-term patients who need a period of recovery and rehabilitation.
"We want them to feel they have gone to a hotel for a stay," he said.
"We send more of our patients home now than we admit to stay," Foster said. "I've been in long-term care for 17 years, and this is the only place I've seen where that model actually works."
The state Department of Health will inspect the work Feb. 5 and once it gives the OK, patients can be placed in the refurbished wing.
Susque-View Home and Health Center next door has its beautiful garden and other amenities that are all its own, Foster said, and now the extended care unit will have C Hall.
"We have to be marketable, also," he added.
The Extended Care Unit and its mission have changed over the years, and now it has "something pretty to show," Foster said.
It's no longer only a stopping point between a hospital bed and a nursing home or the patient's own home, he said.
"You don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to," he said. "Now you can stay."