Groundbreaking and building dedication ceremonies were held Wednesday for a new medical facility, just north of Kosciusko Community Hospital.

The new facility will be called The Beyer Building, named after the original owners of the KCH campus property. The building will be completed by February 2006. The year 2006 also will mark the 30th anniversary of KCH.

The medical office building will be the new home of The Imaging Center of Kosciusko County, Satellite Laboratory Services and Northern Lakes Internal Medicine.

The Imaging Center will provide outpatient diagnostic services, including Open MRI Technology. The GE Signa OpenSpeed MRI combines comfort and speed with high-field performance, decreasing procedure time by 30 to 50 percent; provides higher image quality; has a spacious opening to ease patient anxiety; and allows each patient to adjust ventilation and lighting to their needs.

Satellite Laboratory Services include routine blood collections, pre-operative testing, glucose tolerance testing and therapeutic phlebotomy. The new outpatient area will include five private rooms to be used for blood draws, medical procedures and to perform electrocardiograms.

The Beyer Building also will house Northern Lakes Internal Medicine. Due to increased patient volume and medical staff growth, NLIM has outgrown its current facility at 1500 Provident Drive. NLIM includes Dr. Dana Coates, Dr. Gregory Haase, Dr. Luan Nguyen, Dr. Hung Vo, Dr. Charles Marting and Dr. Michael Musgrave.

Michael Mullins, chief executive officer of KCH, said "The privacy and comfort of our patients is a priority at KCH. The medical office building is being designed to make our patients' visits a comfortable and private experience, while allowing us to serve each patient efficiently. This construction continues to demonstrate the commitment of the hospital, the medical staff, the board of directors and administration to meeting the health care needs of the community."

Haase said, "The facility will give Northern Lakes Internal Medicine more room to grow and add services." He recounted the history of NLIM from when he started practicing in 1985. "We kept growing and moving, and in 1995, joined forces with the hospital and two years later moved to our current location. In the last two years, we've added three new doctors, and our staff has grown from 12 to 22. With the new 11,000 square feet of space, we'll be able to add two more doctors. We thank Mike Mullins, Triad and the hospital for their support."

Dr. Patrick Silveus, KCH medical staff president, spoke of the growth of the KCH campus and services that have already been updated and added. The new Emergency Care Center will open in August, and the new Imaging Center and Satellite Lab will add even more services.

Dr. John Davis, chairman of the KCH board of directors, said, "KCH is taking another giant step in providing needed services. The open MRI will place KCH at the forefront of advanced services in this area. We celebrate this new step that combines a warm personal touch with medical excellence."

Dr. Art Moser recounted the history of how the Beyer family farm property was selected 29 years ago as the site for the new hospital. Fred Beyer was a patient and friend of Moser's. "At the same time as we were looking for a site for a new hospital, the U.S. 30 bypass was already planned. We wanted a location where ambulances and other traffic wouldn't have to cross the bypass to get to the hospital from Warsaw. It turned out that what was commonly called the Beyer Farm was the perfect place for the new hospital. In honor of the Beyers, the new medical facility will be called The Beyer Building." [[In-content Ad]]