At their regular monthly Board meeting held Oct. 26, 2016, the Board of Directors of Cameron Regional Medical Center (CRMC) voted to approve the construction of a new, larger Renal Dialysis Center and Nephrology Clinic on the Medical Center’s 60-acre campus. Preliminary estimates put the project’s construction cost at approximately $1.7m, with additional “soft” costs running between $328,814 and $490,428 (architect/engineer fees, geotechnical testing, surveying, inspections, equipment, furniture, signage, etc.).
According to Warren McElwain, CRMC Board President, “A 10-month construction schedule has been estimated. We are hopeful construction will begin in January 2017, making late fall 2017 the targeted completion date.”
Joe Cantrell of HMN Architects serves as lead architect for the project. Mr. Cantrell has been associated with CRMC construction projects since the mid-to-late 1990s when plans for building the new Medical Center on I-35 began.
Joseph F. Abrutz, Jr., CRMC Administrator, explained that the shell of an Infusion Center (no interior finish) will also be included in the 2017 construction project. “As CRMC’s chemotherapy and infusion services are growing rapidly and will soon overburden their existing space, it was determined an Infusion Center shell could be economically constructed at this time in tandem with the new Renal Dialysis Unit,” stated Abrutz.
The new 10-chair Renal Dialysis Unit has been drawn at 3,664 sq. ft., with a 2,128 sq. ft. Infusion Center shell. An 868 sq. ft. connecting corridor brings the total addition, which will be situated at the south end of CRMC’s facility, to approximately 6,660 sq. ft. Additional handicap parking will be included in the project as well.
Purdum Construction of Overland Park, Kan. will serve as General Contractor for the project. The firm specializes in health care and has built several Renal Dialysis Units in the Kansas City area.
Shahzad Shafique, M.D., Board-Certified Nephrologist, serves as Medical Director for both of CRMC’s Renal Dialysis Centers (Cameron and Bethany). Dr. Shafique indicated, “With this expansion, both our Bethany Unit and our Cameron Unit will be able to accommodate up to ten patients simultaneously.” He further stated, “The demand for Renal Dialysis services continues to grow as the elderly population increases and the prevalence of chronic conditions such as kidney disease, heart disease, and hypertension rises.”
As continuous access to the southern portion of CRMC will be necessary during construction, temporary access roads and temporary parking will be constructed, with a new entrance into the south end of the building to be created.
Cameron Regional Medical Center and the CRMC Foundation are both 501(c)3 not-for-profit entities.
