THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 22, 1994 TAG: 9409220152
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: AHOSKIE LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Northside, a full-service psychiatric unit of Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, is scheduled to open Sunday, Oct. 1.
The 20-bed unit, which will serve adult patients requiring inpatient treatment or stabilization, is on a newly developed, 28-acre site about a mile from the hospital.
Northside will enable those needing emotional help to find it near their homes.
``They will no longer have to go to Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro. That was a trip of about 100 miles,'' said Dr. Robert A. Blackburn, medical director of the unit. ``We can keep the people at home and reduce the census at Cherry, which is usually overcrowded.''
The average census at Northside is expected to be about 12 patients per day - ``a break-even situation for us,'' said hospital administrator Peter N. Geilich. ``More people will mean a profit. The money will be used to fund our next project or expand this unit.''
The new unit, plus equipment, cost $2 million, the money coming out of hospital reserves.
``That's called good management,'' Geilich said.
And that was applied to the facility's construction as well, he added.
``The hospital served as its own general contractor. We did the work ourselves. That was a savings of 10 percent right off the top. We have an excellent engineering crew. We subcontracted the rest of the work.''
Northside is modeled after The Oaks unit of New Hanover Hospital in Wilmington.
``We even used the same architect, and The Oaks administrator, Dr. Robert Prehn, continues as a consultant for us,'' Geilich said. ``We looked at several units. The Oaks had a successful program, so we duplicated it. Why re-invent the wheel?''
Northside, like its parent, Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, will serve the approximately 70,000 people of Hertford, Northampton, Gates and Bertie counties.
``These four counties rank as among the poorest in North Carolina, but this facility is beautiful,'' Blackburn said. ``It's state-of-the-art for any location. That's why I came here.''
He will oversee a staff of 35 professionals, including psychologists, social workers, nurses, therapists and psychiatric technicians.
``I've been to a lot of hospitals since I began practicing medicine in 1966,'' said Blackburn, an eye-ear-nose-throat specialist before turning to psychiatry in 1993. ``This is the best place I've ever worked at.
``Psychiatry is never allocated the better part of a hospital. It's always farthest away or in an area that used to be used for something else.''
Elsewhere on the site is a 9,000-square-foot area for a renal dialysis program, and office space.
``We anticipate development of other facilities at this campus,'' Geilich said. ``Eventually, we'll use all 28 acres.'' MEMO: Northside will have an open house from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Refreshments
will be served. For information, call (919) 332-2100.
ILLUSTRATION: The 20-bed unit will serve adult patients requiring inpatient
treatment or stabilization.
by CNB