Medical Center Hospital announced Thursday that the FMH Foundation has awarded the Medical Center Health System Foundation a $3 million grant. The funds will go directly toward the $32 million renovation and expansion of the current Intensive Care Unit at MCH.
“We are beyond thrilled and extremely thankful for this generous grant from the FMH Foundation,” Alison Pradon, vice president of development, Medical Center Health System, said in a news release. “ICU volumes in the Permian Basin are expected to grow by more than 30 percent over the next ten years due to population growth and an aging population. These funds will go directly toward making sure MCH can take care of all critical patients during their times of need with the ICU renovation and expansion.”
Currently, MCH has two ICU units with 20 beds each. Under the ICU renovation plan, MCH will modernize and expand the ICU, convert a unit to universal care beds, and upgrade a unit to include ten additional critical care beds. The expansion of ICU capabilities will address the market need and minimize unnecessary travel time for needed care. As part of MCHS’s longstanding partnership with Texas Tech, this expansion will be necessary to support the surgical and sub-specialty residency training program extending advanced care to the area. To maintain and sustain the ICU unit, we have created key partnerships with a variety of organizations, including Texas Tech Health Science Center and Odessa College, to ensure clinical staffing is available to meet future ICU demand.