Carson-Tahoe board to discuss fate of hospital's future

Nearly $63 million in improvements to Carson-Tahoe Hospital will be up for discussion on Monday as trustees explore their plan for the hospital's future.

A range of projects is being considered, including proposals for the construction of a new $4.8 million cancer center and two 48-bed nursing towers at a cost of $11.5 million and $10.5 million.

The total for all projects is estimated at $62.9 million, including construction of a new main entrance and relocating the pharmacy.

Hospital officials predict they will need to spend another $29.5 million to replace equipment such as a magnetic resonance imaging scanner and pay for a federally mandated computer system.

Chief operating officer Ed Epperson said the work is critical to the hospital's opperation.

"There are necessities like the electrical system and air conditioning," he said. "These days we're so dependent on computers, IV pumps, and EKG machines that we have to replace them, and the second cath lab may not be as critical but we need one for vascular and another for imaging. Then there's the list of things we wish we could do if we had access to the capital."

Carson-Tahoe is reviewing four options for the hospital's future. Affiliation with health care entities Sutter and Universal are being considered, along with the possibility of forming a private, nonprofit corporation, or simply remaining a city-owned and operated hospital.

"If we're going to plan future needs, we need to define the target, including what it's going to cost," Epperson said. "If we decide we need a new hospital, we need to find out what that might cost."

The hospital's marketing director, Richard Linkul, expects to hear from all groups, especially physicians.

"We feel strongly that physicians are key," Linkul said. "They drive the business."

Meetings to consider all affiliation options are scheduled for Jan. 22 and 24, times and places to be determined.

What: Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees

When: Monday, December 11 at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Pinon Room at Carson-Tahoe Hospital, 775 Fleischmann Way