RUMFORD – As construction on the new consolidated patient unit and operating room gets under way at Rumford Hospital, all the public entrances and parking lots remain open for patients and visitors.

The entrances include the rear entrance facing Swift River Health Care that was used as the main and emergency hospital entrance during construction of the lobby and emergency department three years ago.

At that entrance there is a “help button” and inside a phone that automatically rings into the switchboard. Patients who need assistance to get to another part of the hospital can pick up the phone and ask for help.

Excavation of the area for new construction is well under way. The next step will be a concrete foundation, followed by erection of steel beams. Construction is slated to take about a year to complete.