Supporters of Lawrence General Hospital point to its new Pediatric Center as the latest example that Andover residents don't have to drive to Boston to get quality health care.
Patient attitudes toward hospitals are often tough nuts to crack. Patients have different experiences with hospitals - some not so good. Over the years, more and more Andover residents have gone to Boston hospitals rather than stay local, such as at LGH, the closest hospital to Andover. But in 2010, LGH established affiliations with Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Cente,r meaning locals now can see the same doctors locally they would meet in Boston.
The community hospital, located on General Street in Lawrence, is undergoing a unit-by-unit makeover, with the Pediatric Center opening Jan. 19. The goal is to make the hospital more appealing to communities in Merrimack Valley, including Andover.
Andover's Eugene "Gene" Doran, is one person who tries to convince people the LGH should be their hospital of choice. Doran was paralyzed 26 years ago when a nail from a carpenter's stud gun went through a wall and struck him while he was getting a haircut next door. He was rushed to the hospital's emergency room and has been a believer in LGH's quality healthcare ever since.
"They have saved my life three times," said Doran, a parapelegic as a result of the accident.
Pneumonia and heart trouble have forced him to revisit and stay in the hospital, and he has nothing but good things to say about LGH.
"They invited me to tell my story and I am happy to," said Doran, whose story is used in numerous LGHH advertisements.
The latest unit to be made over is the hospital's pediatric center. Its $600,000 makeover has resulted in 14 freshly refurbished rooms for sick children. Five of those rooms are private, each with a single bed. Nine rooms are semi-private with two beds each.
"From the shower curtains to the floor tiles, each room is brand new," said Vanessa C. Kortze, communications manager. "These rooms are by no means scary for kids. The unit is family-oriented and very welcoming."
A major capital campaign raised the makeover money. Doran himself made a $25,000 donation. One room was named after him and staffers surprised him with the news at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 19.
"He's our No. 1 fan," Kortze said.
The Kiwanis Club of Greater Lawrence, which meets every Thursday for lunch in Andover, has donated $20,000 over four years, for a playroom that bears the group's name.
Those nice rooms are only a small part of what's happening in the pediatric center. LGH now has an after hours pediatric clinic so parents can take sick children there instead of waiting in the emergency room. Open from 5 to 9 p.m. on weekdays and extended hours on weekends, Kortze said worried parents have a qualified local option for care of their sick kids.
LGH's pediatric affiliation with Floating Hospital in Boston means specialists and surgeons are on site.
"No more traveling to Boston...parents can immediately get quality healthcare," Kortze said.
Plus, a trip to LGH costs less, Kortze said. In these days of high insurance deductibles for families, studies show parents save $2,000 to $3,500 when an LGH visit is compared to a visit to a Boston hospital, Korteze said.
"It costs less and the quality is there," she said.
Pediatrics is important to the hospital, starting at the very top. President Dianne Anderson, who replaced longtime President Joseph McManus when he retired, was once a pediatric nurse. The Patrick Administration named CEO Dianne J. Anderson to its Health Quality Committee last month.
