On Tuesday evening the Heber Valley Hospital will be holding an open house as they complete their second phase of their expansion project.
The hospital is most the way through a $41.3 million expansion project. Heber Valley Hospital Director of Communications Amy Tuddenham said since they weren’t constructing a new building the hospital had to expand and renovate while remaining in operation.
"Two years ago, we built a brand-new ER, a brand new InstaCare, and moved a couple of smaller services around the hospital,” Tuddenham said. “Once that was done, we vacated those old spaces and then we could renovate those. This is just the second phase of that component.”
The completion of the second phase includes renovated offices, a new main entrance, a new café and new roads for navigating the campus. From 6:00-8:00 pm on Tuesday evening residents will be able to tour the new amenities, learn from an education fair and participate in a teddy bear clinic.
“The kids get to pick out a little teddy bear and then they get to take it through various components of the hospital,” Tuddenham explained. “They'll get to name their bear, they’ll get to check it in, and meet with the pediatrician. We've just opened a new cafe at the hospital. It's got beautiful views and phenomenal food and so people will be able to sample the menu there at the café. We're going to have our mental health providers talking about how to access mental health in this community. We also have a program called the Behavioral Health Network that helps people that don't have mental health benefits on their insurance to get the care regardless of their ability to pay. So those providers will be available. Our OBGYN's will be here as well as their staff both in labor and delivery and the clinic. And then surgery, it's not often that the public gets into an operating room.”
Additionally, emergency preparedness information will be available including water safety, avalanche safety, and emergency preparedness communication. Tuddenham says its important the community understand what amenities are available to them locally.
“There are some things that you do need to go to a higher-level hospital, but we can provide care for most everything that a patient needs to be seen for,” Tuddenham continued. “If not, we are connected into Intermountain Healthcare and we can get you the care you need in a timely manner. Whether that's through a transfer or just connecting you with physicians.”
In addition to growth of brick and mortar services, Tuddenham points to the expanded use of technology including IHC’s Connect Care app which allows patients to facetime physicians from home.
“We’re pretty excited about how we're growing, because it's different,” Tuddenham said. “We're investing in technology and we're thinking outside of the box of how we can meet the needs of our community. Still have quality health care and great physicians that are living in our community, engaged with what we're doing at the hospital, as well as engaged in the community.”
Phase three of the project is scheduled to be completed next fall and will include an expansion to the inpatient pharmacy, the well-baby nursery, inpatient unit and additional administrative space.