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St. John's is expanding its burn unit. Michele Skalicky reports.
The current burn unit, built in 1981, receives patients from all over Southwest Missouri as well as from Northwest Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.
According to its nursing director, Debbie Mikkelson, the St. John's Burn Unit treats an average of 275 inpatients annually and has more than 4000 outpatient visits each year.
It's a level one trauma center, which means it has to meet several quality control measures, it's involved in an intense research program and it has a trauma surgeon who's also a burn surgeon in the hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The current burn unit contains six patient rooms, two of which are ICU capable, one is for isolation in case of infection and the others are semi-private. There's a tiny work area for nurses and a hydrotherapy room.
The new area, currently under construction, will give the burn unit considerably more space. There will be a new outpatient wound center, which burn unit nursing director Debbie Mikkelson, says will greatly benefit both patients and nurses.
There will be a new hydrotherapy area with whirlpool extremity tanks and one for full-body use.
The new burn unit will contain five exam rooms as well as a classroom and conference room.
There will be a new inpatient waiting area, which will contain coffee stations for visitors thanks to a donation by a former burn unit patient and from the St. John's Foundation.
A large nursing station will be open on three sides so nurses can clearly see the patient's rooms. Mikkelson says, on two sides of the nurses station will be four ICU capable beds.
There will be a total of nine private rooms. A large space on the east side of the new burn unit will be the hydrotherapy room.
The new burn unit is scheduled to be completed at the end of September. Debbie Mikkelson says it was greatly needed.
For KSMU news, I'm Michele Skalicky.
