St. Luke’s presents hospital plans to the public

Recently unveiled plans for the valley’s new hospital show a facility designed with options for future expansion.

St. Luke’s Wood River Community Council chair Will Storey presented architectural plans for the hospital slated for construction in Cold Springs, just south of Ketchum, during a posh reception at River Run Lodge at the base of Bald Mountain on Sept. 2.

"This is a labor of love and commitment," St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center president Ed Dahlberg told the 150 guests of honor before the drum roll and presentation of plans. "We are looking forward to moving forward, and we are all excited to be at this point."

St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center of Boise will build the new local hospital as part of a takeover agreement with Wood River Medical Center. Wood River’s two campuses, a hospital in Hailey and one in Sun Valley, are scheduled to close when the St. Luke’s facility opens in the fall of 2000.

Total cost for the two-story, 83,000-square-foot hospital is $27 million. The first floor includes a lobby, dining room for visitors and staff, a conference and health education center and administrative offices.

Patient services on the first floor include radiology, cardiopulmonary services, rehabilitation services, and the emergency room.

"During the design process, close attention was paid to providing privacy for patients, maximizing interior natural light, and taking advantage of the restful views available from the mountainside setting," said Wood River Medical Center chief executive officer Jon Moses.

The second floor includes 34 inpatient beds, an obstetrics department, nursery, the intensive-care unit, and four operating suites for surgery.

"The operating suites are designed so that inpatients and outpatients can access surgery easily from different areas of the hospital," said orthopedic surgeon and community council member Steve Wasilewski. "Inpatients will enter the operating room directly from the patient floor while outpatients will enter from a separate waiting area at the other end of the surgery wing."

Dahlberg added that "the facility and site plan have been designed to provide various options for future expansion of the hospital and other medical facilities. With the assistance of our experienced and talented design team, we were able to provide numerous options for the hospital’s expansion to meet future needs while also providing a peaceful wetland park and enhanced recreation trail."

Moses thanked the community council and architects for their steady vision for the facility; he also thanked the community.

"We are grateful for the trust you’ve put into St. Luke’s to build this facility," he said.