Keesler Hospital to hold open house Nov. 29 Published Nov. 14, 2012 By Steve Pivnick 81st Medical Group Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- "The Keesler Hospital invites our patients to an open house for the new Back Bay Tower 1-4 p.m. Nov. 29," said Brig. Gen. (Dr) Kory Cornum, 81st Medical Group commander. Visitors may enter through the new tower entrance on the northeast corner of the hospital or the A tower entrance on Fisher Street. The facility opens for patient care in December 2012. The tower contains state-of-the art medical and surgical inpatient wards, intensive care and recovery/peri-anesthesia care units as well as a new emergency department, physical-occupational therapy-chiropractic clinic, two new operating rooms and two cardiac catheterization labs. A new central sterile supply also is located in the new wing. Open house visitors will have the opportunity to visit all four floors. Staff members from the respective units will be available to answer questions. The existing building ground floor has services such as nutritional medicine and the dining facility. Connecting corridors, stairs and elevators provide access to the ground floor of the new Back Bay Tower. A courtyard opposite the "Hungry Dragon" dining facility offers hospital guests and staff a place to relax. The emergency department relocates to their new modern facility on the first floor. Central sterile supply is also located on the first floor with a private conveying system to the new surgical suites located directly above. Joining the main campus from the Arnold Hall Medical Annex, physical therapy, occupational therapy and the chiropractic clinic also are on the first floor. Connecting corridors, elevators and stairs provide access to the first floor of the existing building and all other clinics and services. Same-day surgery check-in is located on the second floor along with two additional ORs, the ICU and the cardiac catheterization center. For the convenience of patients and their visitors, two waiting areas, with wireless internet and vending machines, are co-located opposite same-day surgery and the ICU. A connecting corridor on the second floor allows access to the existing building and all other wings. A 24-bed medical nursing unit occupies the entire third floor, providing spacious common areas, a consultation room, a waiting area and three nursing stations. Each patient suite is equipped with a flat-screen TV, small office space with wireless internet, seating for guests, window views and state-of-the-art equipment. A ramped corridor links the new and existing buildings in addition to the primary elevators. The fourth floor contains a 24-bed surgical unit, identical to the third floor medical nursing unit. This floor does not provide direct access to the existing facility. The tower is a result of the 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission's recommendations. Construction of the $55 million ($40 million for construction and $15 million for equipment) Back Bay Tower began in November 2009. The almost 140,000-square-foot structure is reinforced and elevated to 23 feet above sea level to help withstand potential hurricane storm surge damage.