St. John’s to build new hospital
by St. John’s Lutheran Hospital
August 7, 2008
(Libby) At the Trustees meeting on Tuesday, August 5, 2008, the Board of Trustees of St. John’s Lutheran Hospital unanimously voted to build a new hospital facility. The project, which has taken months of intensive research and planning, is scheduled to begin within the next 24 months. Since September 2007, hospital administration has worked with planning consultants from The Hammes Company. The Hammes Company, a Denver based architectural and master planning firm, specializes in healthcare facility master planning and project development.
According to Bill Patten, CEO at St. John’s, the recently completed master planning process was very thorough. "The master plan looked at our current facility; the amount of space we have versus the amount of space needed by the departments, along with a review of the current infrastructure. In addition, it analyzed the demographics of our community, the number and type of medical staff providers who practice at St. John’s, and the current financial condition of the hospital." Reflecting on the process that the Board used before making this decision Patten said, "The recommendation to build a new hospital was not a decision Administration took lightly. The Board charged us with crafting a solution that would address our current facility weaknesses while positioning us for the future. This decision does just that!"
KC Hoyer, Marketing Manager for St. John’s stated, "As the national shortage of physicians and other professional healthcare providers becomes more acute, our facility will become even more important as a recruitment and retention tool. In addition, our patients have a choice about where they receive their healthcare. Our new hospital will be one more way we can demonstrate our commitment to providing ‘Excellent Healthcare Close to Home’ with state of the art equipment and facilities."
Patten added, "This decision is the first in a series of steps we will take over the coming months in order to make this project a reality. Keeping our community up-to-date on project details will be an important priority throughout this process."
Related Links
www.sjlh.com - St. John’s Lutheran Hospital in Libby
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