As Newark-Wayne Hospital makes progress on their modernization project, a couple of changes will be happening over the next few weeks that patients and visitors will need to be aware of.

The first of those changes will begin on August 27 when the outpatient lab draw station will officially open in a renovated, standalone building on the Newark campus. The station is being moved from its current location inside the hospital to 240 West Pearl Street.

“Anybody needing to get their blood drawn will need to report there starting August 27,” said Trisha Koczent, vice president of operations at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital. “The nice thing about that, is that it is a separate entrance, it has its own parking, so it should be a lot more convenient for our patients to access and be able to in and out very quickly.”

Koczent noted that the quality of service and the phlebotomist will remain the same.

In addition to the relocation of the lab draw station, the front entrance is also being renovated and will be closed beginning September 7, remaining closed until construction on the new entrance is complete.

While the new entrance is being built, Koczent reported that all visitors, patients and hospital employees will need to use the rear entrance, adjacent to the emergency department. According to a Rochester Regional Health FAQ sheet, when completed, the new entrance will provide a modern, clearly defined main entrance that will also include a nondenominational chapel, a bistro, centralized patient registration and pre surgical testing, a covered drive-up entrance for patients and visitors and a private exit for discharged patients.

The groundbreaking for the project took place on June 8, and it is expected to be complete in July 2017, according to Koczent. “It’s an exciting time, and it’s going to require a little bit of transition and inconvenience,” she said. “But in the end, this should be a great project for Newark-Wayne Hospital and the community.”