Hospital rooms eyed for clinic space

Repairs to leaking showers in patient rooms at Allen County Regional Hospital could start in the near future, but a pending management change provides an opportunity to rethink their purpose.

The hospital last month received its final payment in a $175,000 legal settlement against construction firms involved in building the facility in 2013. Showers in several patient rooms began to leak immediately after construction wrapped up, and more were discovered later.

A Wichita construction firm that wasn’t part of the original crew recently toured the hospital and is expected to submit a bid for repairs. How many rooms can be repaired will depend on the costs, with rooms with the worst leaks named a top priority.