As we close in on the opening date for the 52,000-square foot expansion at Greene County Medical Center, the hospital is preparing to implement new technology as well.

In each inpatient room will be an electronic whiteboard.  Chief Executive Officer Carl Behne says a patient’s information such as their medicine, diet, meals and some other medical history will be on a television screen in each patient’s room.  The attending nurse, with a picture, will be updated as their shift changes, so the patient knows what the new nurse looks like.  Behne adds that the medical center is the first hospital in the state to use this technology with their electronic medical records system.

Another feature is improve security in the emergency department.  Currently, the patient walk-in and ambulance entrances are not separate.  In the new location, Behne notes that they will be separated, which allows for a private waiting area and staff to unlock the doors.

“So the days of having to pick up the phone and wait for somebody to greet you at the door, those days will be over.  There will be somebody there all the time.  And so, we’ll be able to help anybody, but also, if there are security needs, we can contact folks that would need to respond appropriately.”

The $22.5 million project was delayed from opening at the end of this month to the end of next month.