As part of the new additions to the hospital, HMC added a brand new ambulatory surgery and ER waiting area with a lower waiting area as well as a mezzanine waiting area.
In 1955, Dr. Lawrence Rossi, Sr., the only physician practicing in the tiny southern Tazewell County community of Hopedale, founded the 20-bed Hopedale Hospital. Sixty years later, it grew into Hopedale Medical Complex (HMC), which serves as a model for a continuum of care.
“Dad built the first nursing home from ‘original plans’ in 1957 and connected it to the new hospital because he knew it was better care for the patients and more convenient for their families,” says Mark Rossi, the hospital’s COO and one of Dr. Rossi’s six sons. His five brothers are physicians, four of whom work at Hopedale.
“No one I know of was as visionary about the future of health care, especially for the elderly, as Dr. Rossi was,” he continues. “He combined the hospital, long-term care, assisted living and, eventually, the wellness center all in one location.”
This model is even more unique because the doctors at Hopedale practice both primary care and perform surgery, an unusual combination. Mark Rossi believes this “hybrid physician” is what accounts for the outstanding outcomes and high patient satisfaction scores. “We offer something the others don’t because we are the only place around where your primary care doctor is also your surgeon. Our surgeons will be more familiar with the patient’s history, which enables them to deliver the best care without specialists intervening in the process. It’s more efficient health care, and we believe better care because the patient does not get ‘left behind’ at any stage of the process.”
Rossi says patient satisfaction is high, in part, because of the close relationship established between doctor and patient. It’s an old-fashioned family atmosphere that is a true asset in a rural community because the patient stays in one facility for most treatments, avoiding long drives to the city. “Because of that, our patients are very loyal and generally very happy.”
Steady Growth
Amenities at Hopedale include a 25-bed acute care hospital, 24-hour emergency room, Intensive Care Unit, general and vascular surgery departments, physician offices, pharmacy, orthopedic surgery, 51-bed nursing home, 70-bed assisted and independent living facility and a 34,000 square-foot Wellness Center with its own junior Olympic-size pool. Services provided include mammography, open magnetic imaging resonance (MRI), computed tomography scanning (CT), physical therapy and rehabilitation.
One million dollars was spent to upgrade the angiography suite in the vascular lab last July. HMC provides an on-site daycare for its staff, the only one of its kind in a rural hospital.
HMC also provides cardiac rehabilitation and sports medicine services with certified athletic trainers in five area rural high schools.
Celebration
HMC celebrated its 60th anniversary on May 8th. The next day, an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the 32,000 square-foot addition that includes a new hospital lobby, glass atrium and mezzanine level conference room, six new “super-sized” patient rooms, six new ambulatory surgery suites, a new ICU and a modern three-suite ER.
Topping off the new addition is a new helipad adjacent to the ER. The hospital also upgraded its IT infrastructure with a new electronic medical record system, fiber optics, a new nurse call system, 150 security cameras, and new exterior signage.
Family, Future, and HMC
Dr. Rossi passed away in 2001, but his legacy lives on at Hopedale, where seven Rossi children work. Mark says they are following in their father’s footsteps by providing five-star service and treating patients and residents like members of the family. “We want our patients and residents to feel at home. Our peaceful rural setting is perfect to promote healing.”
Mark also wants his nieces and nephews to feel at home if they ever decide to “return to their roots.” Fifteen of Dr. Rossi’s grandchildren are physicians or are in medical training. “We are hoping one or more of them will see what we have invested here and continue our work,” the COO says, “but we are recruiting physicians just in case they choose not to.”
The best parts about his job, Mark adds, are working with his family and the quality of staff that HMC attracts because of the modern facilities and equipment it has to offer. So, whether or not more Rossi family members join the team, Mark is confident about the future of HMC and the health care industry, which is undergoing a major conversion from volume-based to value-based reimbursement. “We are prepared for that,” he affirms. “We already practice effective, high-quality, private, personalized medicine.” Nevertheless, he says they are “constantly seeking ways to improve the patient experience just as Dr. Rossi did sixty years ago.”
For more information, visit www.hopedalemc.com or call 309-449-3321.