New Centennial Hospital Brings Care 'Close To Home'
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - There's a new hospital in the Denver metro area. HealthOne has converted what used to be a freestanding emergency room into a 20-bed facility. It is a first for the Centennial community.
"They want care close to home," said Tyler Hood, chief administrative officer for the new Centennial Hospital.
Centennial Hospital is a major expansion of the old Centennial Medical Plaza, a 35 year fixture on busy Arapahoe Road at Jordan. It was an emergency room with no hospital attached.
Hood said the community wanted more.
"Patients wanted to stay in their community and receive great care in their community," Hood told CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh.
Centennial Hospital includes an emergency department. It has 20 inpatient beds and expanded services including orthopedic and spine surgery, oncology, women's services and more.
"We've also created new jobs. We've created about 80 new positions this year," said Hood.
"I always wanted to be a nurse," said Kate Norton RN.
She became an RN in 1980.
"I was 22," Norton explained.
Forty-one years later, 30 at the Medical Center of Aurora, Kate jumped at the opportunity to work at Centennial. The hospital is ten minutes from her home.
She is the patient experience coordinator, supporting patients and their families.
"We are truly like a family starting from the birth of a child, so to speak as the new hospital, to watch it grow," said Norton.
Right now, Centennial Hospital has just 20 beds, but on the third floor is the potential for 20 more.
