Hospital counting the hours to big move

By CONSTANCE SEE

Whitefish Pilot

North Valley Hospital CEO Craig Aasved is counting down the days, hours and minutes until the hospital's big move — one week from today, starting at 7 a.m., March 22.

As captain of the ship, Aasved will be in charge of assuring a smooth move for thousands of patient records, X-rays, medical and pharmaceutical supplies, a delicate million-dollar MRI machine, and hundreds of other details — including the delicate procedure of moving patients.

Following public tours last month to introduce the community to the new building, the entire facility was closed down for deep-cleaning and sterilization.

To facilitate the move, the hospital will simultaneously operate two emergency departments, two birth centers, two surgical services departments and two special care units.

"I am confident that things will go very well," Aasved said. "We will all be very glad when this phase is behind us. A lot of time has been put into planning the move. I am personally confident it will go as planned."

The move represents the culmination of more than six years of site selection, planning, fund-raising, design, equipment purchase, new equipment training and preparation efforts by the entire staff.

Whitefish has come a long way since its first hospital opened on Spokane and Fourth Street in 1905 with one doctor and two nurses.

The city was without a hospital from 1923 to 1936 when the first building was converted into an apartment complex. A new site was selected at Park Avenue and Sixth Street in 1947, named after physician John B. Simons.

The present hospital opened its doors on July 24, 1971, funded with $2 million in bonds, a federal grant and local donations. A 56-bed expansion in 1975 cost $1.325 million, funded by bond sales. A remodeling project was completed in 1988, and a medical office building was built next door in 1993.

In 2000, hospital administrators agreed that the present hospital was no longer able to keep up with patients. A structural analysis also found that the present hospital was significantly noncompliant with regulations for Zone 3 seismic areas, such as in the Flathead, which ruled out a retrofit option.

Seattle consultants Professional Practice Environments, Inc. looked at three locations for a new hospital facility. Building at the adjacent Greenwood Trailer Court was ruled out because it would have added $3.6 million to the cost, and there was the controversial issue of forcing out the trailer court residents.

Building at the former state highway department gravel quarry on Baker Avenue was also ruled out because the topography limited usable area.

PPE recommended the Highway 40 site, which would be less costly to develop and had greater marketability and visibility. The hospital board reaffirmed its decision after holding public meetings. On Dec. 27, 2003, Aasved announced that the hospital had purchased the 45-acre site by Highway 40 for $1.365 million.

The total cost for the land and facility was initially estimated to be about $21 million, but costs kept rising. On Sept. 30, 2005, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it had approved the $30 million mortgage loan needed to finance the new hospital.

Meanwhile, North Valley Hospital Foundation executive director Carol Blake spearheaded an intensive fund-raising effort with a $6.3 million goal. Donations included a $500,000 gift from Dave and Sherry Lesar, part-time Whitefish residents. Lesar succeeded Vice President Dick Cheney as the CEO of Halliburton.

Also key to financing the new facility was the sale of the present hospital site. The Aspen Group, of Phoenix, Ariz., announced last June it had negotiated a $6.4 million purchase price for the 13-acre site, with plans to build 180 to 200 condominium units in a mixed-use condominium development project there.

Eight golden shovels were used to break ground for the new hospital on May 12, 2005, with a band playing and dignitaries present from across the valley.