Going through a $12 million renovation and expansion representsboth exciting and challenging times at King’s Daughters MedicalCenter, the hospital’s chief executive officer said Monday.

CEO Alvin Hoover and board of trustees members updated LincolnCounty supervisors on progress that includes new construction aswell as renovations to existing facilities. He said it was excitingto see the work moving forward, but hospital staff was also makingadjustments as project phases are completed and others get underway.

“It is a challenge, in a 44-year-old building, to deliver healthcare in today’s world,” Hoover said.

Hoover credited the hospital board and his predecessors fortheir vision and desired to initiate the project. The CEO saidchallenges in the hospital’s heating, ventilation and airconditioning; electrical and other systems will also need to beaddressed in the future.

“Our physicians deserve a quality facility to practice medicinein,” Hoover said.

Hoover said the community also deserves a quality facility, andhe maintained that KDMC has one of the best in the state.

“You definitely want a quality facility taking care of you andyour family,” Hoover said.

One area of improvement Hoover touted was in the hospital’semergency department. Those efforts were in response to concernsthat emergency room waiting times were too long.

In January, Hoover said, the average wait was 229 minutes. InMay, it was down to 118 minutes.

“We’re working hard to have the emergency department ourcommunity wants,” Hoover said.

Hoover said the benchmark wait time is 120 minutes and bestpractices time among hospitals is 90 minutes. He said the newemergency department will have 20 patient exam rooms.

“For the most part, we’re going to be moving people in and outof there pretty quickly,” Hoover said.

Hoover led county officials on a tour through newly constructedareas and also through areas under renovation.

Visitors saw a new Intensive Care Unit that has eight rooms thatare much larger than old units, several areas that are underconstruction, a new nurses’ station and newly renovated patientrooms. While licensed for up to 122 beds, Hoover said KDMC willhave 75 patient rooms, including three that will be semi-private togive the hospital a total of 78 patient beds.

Tour guests also saw the new Wound Care Center in front of thehospital.

“This is something that’s needed not only in our county, butalso counties around us,” Hoover said.

District Four Supervisor W.D “Doug” Moak said it was good to seethe project moving forward.

“It’s exciting to see improvements being made … especiallywhen you go between the new areas and what they started with,” Moaksaid. “It’s quite a contrast.”