Cheers to 10 Years!

Cheers to 10 Years!

Thank you to everyone who came to the Open House at Wallowa Memorial Hospital on March 9, to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the opening of the “new” hospital.  We enjoyed cake and punch and displays showcasing the progress made.

Here’s a little history:  In 2001, the hospital was down to just seven days of operating cash, and was carrying debt of over $2,000,000.  Equipment was old and needed to be replaced.  The aging facility was falling apart and cost prohibitive to maintain.

When Larry Davy was hired as the interim CEO in 2001, he addressed the staff he was now responsible for leading.  “This depends on each one of us,”  he said.  The effort to turn the hospital around began then and there, and would culminate six years later when the new hospital, built at a cost of $23 million, was unveiled on March 11, 2007.

Today we look back on the elements that came together to make it happen:  a strong leadership team that could create a vision for the future; an engaged staff that committed fully to that vision; a courageous Board, who backed the vision, despite increasing obstacles; and a very generous community that opened their hearts, minds and wallets to help build a new, modern hospital to serve the community of Wallowa County.

Key accomplishments:  Building a team of highly qualified physicians from top medical schools around the country; expanding the Rehabilitation Clinic from two to five full time physical therapists, plus two physical therapist assistants, an occupational therapist and an aquatic therapy program;  adding telemedicine capabilities; expansion of general surgery and orthopedic surgery; investments in a 64 slice CT scan, new bone density scanner, and 3D mammography (coming soon!);  expansion of an outpatient clinic to provide chemotherapy and infusion treatments here; and much more.

Wallowa Memorial Hospital today is the largest county employer, with 155 total employees, making a significant contribution to the local economy.

Thank you again for helping us mark this important milestone.  Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous future for all.

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