Posted on 11/16/2008 4:50:24 PM PST by SandRat
AL HILLAH — How do you measure success?
“Regarding the $7 million newly-renovated Al Hillah Maternity and Children’s Hospital, located in Babil Province, it’s more than bricks and mortar — it’s all about saving lives,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Construction Representative Edward Jones.
Like many USACE military, civilian and contract employees serving in Iraq, Jones will soon return home knowing his efforts directly benefited thousands of Iraqi families.
“There are many stories that I will take away from this project but there is one that will stay with me forever,” Jones said. “On our final site visit to the hospital, I saw a father hurrying in, carrying his small son. The boy appeared to be unconscious and the man was very upset.”
Although worried about the child, Jones said this event gave him an unexpected understanding and closure to the project. “I was concerned for the child but confident that he was going to receive the quality care that could make all the difference. This scene may have played itself out hundreds of times over the four-year span of this project, but for me it was a first, and that image is a memory I’ll keep forever.”
The rehabilitation included new nurses’ stations, doctors’ offices, an operating room, patient rooms, kitchen and cafeteria.
“From a construction standpoint, the facility received a face lift that includes new lighting, ceramic tile, ceilings, flooring, paint and more. Upgrades were also made to the mechanical, communications and electrical systems, including the installation of new oxygen generators, a heating/cooling system, two 1000kVA generators, a reverse osmosis water purifier, and a medical waste incinerator,” Jones said. “A new electrical synchronization switch gear allows multiple generators to operate together meeting load requirements of the facility.
“The list of hospital improvements is impressive. But the success of this project, as I see it, is measured by the people this facility helped during its renovation,” Jones continued. “This is a maternity and children’s hospital. Its name says it all. Iraqi families found quality professional medical care when they needed it, and that’s why this project touches your heart.
“To my knowledge this facility never closed its doors at any time during the renovation. Considering the hospital sees an average of 500 people daily, with 300 requiring an overnight stay, keeping those doors open was vital to the well being of the entire community,” Jones concluded.
My son is seven weeks old and I go back to work tomorrow. God bless the mothers and children in this hospital. Trying not to cry!
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