St. Luke breaks ground for expansion project

RONAN - St. Luke Community Healthcare Network broke ground between rain showers Monday morning, for an expansion and remodel project to be completed in two years.

"Any time you expand a hospital, it's a good thing," Ronan Mayor Kim Aipperspach said.

The major hospital addition will expand north from the present facility, across one block of Main Street, adding 61,000 square feet of new construction to include 22 new acute care rooms, three labor/delivery/post-partum suites, and a new Urgent Care Center. Urgent Care is for those who don't require an emergency room visit but are unable to get in to see their doctor immediately.

The existing hospital is also headed for a major remodeling, with the surgical center, imaging, lab services and physical therapy in line for new or expanded quarters.

The remodeled hospital, due to open in fall 2009, will also feature a new, larger lobby and waiting area, a room for out-of-town guests, a café, and a gift shop.

The $30 million project is being financed with bonds, hospital reserves and donations. St. Luke CEO Shane Roberts says "the expansion reflects the network's economic health and vitality. Plus, the fact that we are the largest provider of healthcare services to the residents of the Mission Valley."

Billie Lee of Lake County Community Development, which plans to help the hospital meet its infrastructure requirements, says the ability of St. Luke to finance such a major building project speaks to the institution's sturdiness. "The dollars they have to invest and the credibility they have dealing with financiers reflects an obvious track record of success," she says.

Lee foresees further economic growth resulting from the hospital expansion. "This has the potential to attract a significant number of other new businesses to the community," she says. "Along with it comes the need for things such as senior housing, retail services, restaurants, etc., within walking distance of the hospital."

It could very well be just what Ronan needs to revitalize its Main Street and downtown, she added.

Roberts expects the expansion to boost the hospital payroll by 20 to 25 additional employees. With its current number of 329 employees, St. Luke is already the largest private employer in Lake County, according to a hospital press release.

"Growth is happening here, whether we like it or not," he notes. "It's the product of living in one of the most beautiful places in the world."

According to a fact sheet, that growth is reflected in these hospital statistics from 2004 to 2006:
    • surgery up 40 percent;
    • admissions up 34 percent;
    • births up 12 percent;
    • CT up 37 percent;
    • echocardiograms up 38 percent;
    • ER up 23 percent (more than 8,000 outpatient ER visits during 2006); and
    • lab up 30 percent.