$25M Doctors Hospital Freeport Facility Nears Completion

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GRAND BAHAMA – Construction on Doctors Hospital’s twenty-five-million-dollar facility in Freeport is progressing well, with inspections expected to begin next week.

Our News was given an exclusive tour of the facility, where hospital officials say they plan to make it a leading provider of emergency response and outpatient care in Grand Bahama.

Work on Doctors Hospital’s Grand Bahama campus is ongoing, with the facility moving closer to completion.

Chief Executive Officer Dennis Devaux gave Our News a tour of the twenty-five-million-dollar project, which is expected to provide residents of the nation’s second city with another critical healthcare option.

Devaux says the facility is designed to separate emergency and outpatient services, allowing patients to access the care they need more efficiently.

Dennis Devaux – CEO, Doctors Hospital

“Where you are now is in the main lobby. To your left, or to the north, is our emergency service, and then over to the right, or the south, is our outpatient service. Now, we’ve intentionally divided these services accordingly so that if you’re in an emergency and you’re coming in and need immediate access to the emergency room, we don’t want that flow of patient traffic to be intermingled with folks who are coming in to have an outpatient study.”

Officials say work on the facility’s imaging and diagnostic services is also moving forward.

The MRI machine has been installed, while mammography, CT scan and X-ray equipment are still being worked on.

Devaux says oncology and emergency response services are expected to be available from day one.

With much of the patient care area nearing completion, officials say the next phase will include preparing the space for use.

Dennis Devaux – CEO, Doctors Hospital

“We will likely put furniture in this area probably next week. This is pretty much ready. This is patient care, so this has been [unclear]. In fact, it’s already been punched. The ceiling system is in, so this is pretty much there.”

Project Manager Ismael Pinder says the team expects to have the facility ready for inspection by the Grand Bahama Port Authority next week.

Pinder says several key building systems must be tested, including the electrical, plumbing, air-conditioning, medical oxygen and fire-safety systems.

Ismael Pinder – Project Manager

“And all these systems will be tested. That will include mechanical, electrical, plumbing, air-conditioning, the oxygen generator, et cetera. We also are currently, as we speak right now, bringing the fire suppression system online on the second floor, along with the fire alarm system. Additionally, the fire pump, the jockey pump, has to be tested and pressurized. We have recently installed a new line so that we could support the jockey pump itself.”

Once the necessary inspections and testing are completed, the facility will be one step closer to opening its doors to patients in Grand Bahama.