TELLURIDE — A renovated Telluride Medical Center could see its administrative offices or on-call staff housing moved out of its current building to make way for upgraded emergency rooms and possibly additional primary care exam rooms, the Telluride Hospital District Board considered last week as it began discussing how to best remodel its existing facility to provide more patient privacy and meet demand.

“We’re bursting at the seams,” said Hospital Administrator Gordon Reichard. “[The public doesn’t] understand how desperate we are.”

If undertaken, the conversion could provide the TMC with another three exam rooms at what is expected to be a relatively low cost because the administrative area was itself originally converted from exam rooms.

THDB President Bill Grun suggested that the additional rooms could best be utilized as dual-purpose treatment rooms that would serve both the primary care and emergency departments according to patient demand.

“I really think what we need to build into this is a flex area,” he said, suggesting that the rooms might be scheduled for primary care purposes including visiting specialists in the mornings, and reserved for emergency care in the afternoons when demand for those services is typically higher.

“We need to schedule and utilize those rooms based on our demand and hours,” he said.

The idea met with support from other board members and TMC administration and medical staff.

“This does give our patients a little more privacy and does give us the capability of moving into other rooms when we need it,” said emergency physician Diana Koelliker, MD.

“I think it’s an excellent idea,” said Reichard.

“The question is where do you move administration us or where do you move the on-call staff housing,” he continued, adding that placing a temporary or pre-fabricated structure adjacent to the TMC or on the same lot could help alleviate its space constraints for the time being.”

“Were exploring all our options,” he said.

The TMC is currently located in a building owned by the Idarado Mining Co. Its existing emergency room contains treatment bays separated by curtains that can accommodate four patients in limited privacy.

During periods of peak traffic it is not unusual for overflow patients to be treated in the hallways, reducing already limited privacy even further.

After recently reaffirming its goal to build a new facility despite the electorate having defeated its plans to do so at the ballot box last fall, the THDB identified an emergency department remodel was one of its two top strategic priorities.

The process is in its earliest stages and the board does not yet have an idea of how much it will cost. It knows only that it was hoping to avoid making capital improvements to a building it doesn’t own.

“We don’t have any choice,” said Grun.

“We can’t continue to treat people on the floor,” he continued. “That’s where we are, we’re going to spend money.”

Where that money comes from is an entirely separate question, and one that may divide the TMC staff.

“The staff understands the dire need to remodel the emergency room and definitely supports moving forward with this process if it doesn’t come out of operating reserves,” said Reichard.

“We’re not out of the woods yet in terms of the recession,” he said.

Taking a loan could be one option.

“We do have some money; we have the ability to raise money,” said Grun.

The TMC could also pursue fundraising, grants, and enlisting volunteer help from those inclined to donate their time, said Reichard.

Grun said he was hopeful that the remodel will have to act as a bridge between the existing building and a new one for the next five years, however Reichard put that number at more like 10 years.

Regardless, “We’re going to move forward with perfuming the pig, as I call it,” said Grun.