Libby to get new hospital

The Western News

Libby is getting a new hospital.

The St. John’s Lutheran Hospital Board of Trustees unanimously voted on Tuesday to build a new facility. The project is slated to begin within the next two years.

“The master plan looked at our current facility; the amount of space we have vs. the amount of space needed by the departments, along with a review of the current infrastructure,” St. John’s chief executive officer Bill Patten said. “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.”

Such intensive research and planning took months to complete. Hospital administration has worked with planning consultants from The Hammes Co. – a Denver-based architectural and master planning firm that specializes in healthcare facility master planning and project development.

Patten said the process that led to the board’s vote was thorough.

“The recommendation to build a new hospital was not a decision administration took lightly,” Patten said. “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, sees the new hospital as a way to draw top medical professionals.

“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,” she said. “In addition, our patients have a choice about where they receive their healthcare.”

Although the project is still 24 months away from beginning, Patten said Tuesday’s vote was an important step.

“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,” he said. “Keeping our community up-to-date on project details will be an important priority throughout this process.”