DANVILLE — In the year ahead, health-care officials say they expect to continue making improvements at their buildings and providing new services — all with the patient in mind.

Provena United Samaritans Medical Center has entered 2012 by adding new furniture and renovating patient areas.

The Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System will start the year with an acting director to take over for Michael Hamilton, who retired Dec. 30. Tom Mattice, director of the Indianapolis VA Medical Center, will lead both sites until a permanent director is hired for Danville, which could take three to six months.

Provena’s outlook

Mike Brown, regional president and CEO of the Provena hospitals in Danville and Urbana, said of the immediate future, “It’s exciting times. We keep making progress and trying to serve the community in the best way possible.”

The most recent project involves putting in $300,000 worth of furniture provided by the hospital’s foundation. The furniture, designed by a man who was paralyzed in an accident, is ergonomically sound and comfortable.

Various chairs have been chosen to meet the needs of patients and their families. Different heights, as well as bariatric options for the chairs, have been selected to accommodate all patients and families comfortably.

Recliners and pull-out beds are part of the project so that long-term visitors can be comfortable for an overnight stay.

Other improvements include open bins instead of drawers and tables with ledges.

Also, the inpatient nursing care areas have been repainted and new vinyl flooring installed.

As a faith-based ministry, Provena also is adding passages from scriptures to the rooms.

Provena’s emergency room sees 42,000 patients a year, Brown said. While the time a patient spends in the emergency room seems long, the average stay is two hours and 23 minutes; that compares to four hours nationwide.

Provena is in the process of creating a clinical decision unit, which will be an extension of the emergency room. If blood is taken from a patient, for example, and blood needs to be taken again in six hours, that patient will be moved to the new area instead of being admitted. He still will be under the supervision of the emergency room doctor, but he won’t be in the actual emergency room.

That new unit will move into the space now occupied by physical therapy, which will move to the ground floor near the front doors — and thus, is more accessible for patients.

Provena also will continue to add physicians, including those in orthopedics and primary care, and will continue to provide a better workplace for those doctors, Brown said.

Another change that’s under way — but it hasn’t affected Danville at the operational level — is a merger between Provena Health and Resurrection Health Care. That merger has been finalized legally.

The two systems are similar in their mission statements and vision; the biggest difference is that Resurrection is concentrated in the Chicago area.

The merger would mean a name change, which hasn’t been determined yet, Brown said. Focus groups of 1,000 people, including those from the area, are involved in determining the name and the mission statement.

One benefit is that the merger will mean a lower cost per-unit for supplies, so that the hospitals can better control their costs. They also could share each other’s resources and knowledge.

Despite all the improvements already made — a renovated cancer center, for example, and the women’s center — Provena is always looking to improve.

Brown said, “We’ll always continue to work on service and quality — you’re never good enough.” He also praised the employees for their role in the changes.

VA’s outlook

In his final days as director of the Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System, Hamilton took time to look ahead to 2012 — and foresees another good year.

The Illiana System has a goal of increasing its enrollment of veterans by 5 percent at Danville and its community-based outpatient clinics, he said, describing that as an aggressive goal.

The VA wants to enhance and increase its telemedicine clinics, which now number 22. These clinics are designed for veterans to see a provider at a distance in another location, using real-time videoconferencing.

Using high-definition units, the doctor can examine a patient’s skin condition, for example, from a distance.

“This will give more access to patients who can’t come a long distance,” he said.

Another change is that the Illiana System plans to offer extended hours at its clinics one day a week and to be open one weekend a month. There are no weekend clinics now.

On the physical side, the VA expects to cut the ribbon on a new apartment complex for veterans and their families later in the year. The 65-unit housing development will be constructed on the former golf course.

Also, the VA will break ground for three more homes as part of the Green House Project. In 2011, two 10-bedroom homes opened, offering private space for older veterans in long-term care.

Illiana is the first VA in the country and the first agency in the state to adopt the cutting-edge model of care.

Hamilton also is excited about the VA’s 20/20 Vision Plan, which will involve renovating some of the buildings and getting rid of the metal buildings. The plan will begin with minimum construction and will expand as funds become available.

Stressing that the VA isn’t going anywhere, Hamilton said the facility and its clinics will continue to offer more services to veterans. One way to do that is through collaborative agreements with Provena United Samaritans, Provena Covenant, and Carle Foundation Hospital. Plus, Illiana is planning to enter into agreements with Sara Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon and hospitals in Springfield.

“We can’t rest on our laurels,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton also said he’s confident the new director will continue the projects that have been undertaken during his tenure.