Kootenai Medical Center plans to start work on a $3.4 million expansion of its emergency department and its laboratory this month.


The size of the hospitals emergency department will double and its lab space will increase by about 30 percent, says Don Soltman, KMCs vice president of support and ancillary services. The project is expected to be completed in June 2005.


Everything is getting bigger, Soltman says. The blood bank and chemistry departments will double in size. Microbiology will get a little bigger. Were adding a lot more space.


Polin & Young Construction Inc., of Coeur dAlene, has been named the construction manager on the project under a $2.8 million contract, says Soltman. Northwest Architectural Co., of Spokane, designed the expansion.


The emergency department will be expanded to include a total of 27,000 square feet of floor space, up from 13,100 square feet.


The hospitals emergency department currently has 20 examination rooms, and five exam rooms will be added in the expansion, Soltman says. The project also calls for a new employee locker room, a new break room, and three new clerical offices.


The hospitals 6,300-square-foot lab will be enlarged by about 2,000 square feet, giving its 30 employees more elbow room.


The lab is very crowded, he says. Theyre stacking machines on top of machines. Were also going to add new (work) benches and work stations.


KMCs laboratory runs the majority of the medical tests in the hospital, including urine analysis and blood work.


Plans call for some new equipment in the microbiology lab that will enable technicians to have a more controlled environment, Soltman says.


The overall $3.4 million expansion is being paid for from the hospitals operating budget and financial reserves, Soltman says.


There are no loans with this project, he says.


Work on the expansion is expected to take place during evening hours, and shouldnt adversely affect KMCs operations, he says.


Separately, KMC also plans to start building a $5 million parking garage this year, Soltman says.


The project has gone out for bid and could be approved in September.


Work on the 400- to 500-space parking garage could start shortly after that.


The hospital already has about 930 parking spaces.


KMC is in the midst of a five-year $50 million growth plan that it launched in 2002.