New Hospital
 The new hosptial is completed! The process of building this new facility has been nothing short of amazing. Through the commitment, resolve, generosity and expertise from many in the community, the $23 million dream has become a reality. The long awaited move into the new, modern, state of the art hospital has now been accomplished. It will take time to settle in and fine tune work processes and systems, but the Administration and Board have full confidence the staff are up to the challenge. We can now begin the challenge of developing new and improved patient services to better meet the health care needs of the community. The dedication and expertise the staff demonstrated throughout the move will ensure continued success as we expand our ability to provide premier health care services. You can view the final construction photos and get a glimpse of the hospital dedication celebration to see the finished product.
The decicion to build a new hospital
For a number of years the District Board of Directors recognized Wallowa Memorial Hospital needed to be drastically upgraded. This understanding was driven by the age of the facility (opened in 1950), more emphasis on outpatient services, advancing medical technology, and the need to add new services. The Oregon Rural Health Association sponsored a facility evaluation in November 2002. Many departments and systems received low ratings compared to current hospital standards. The report also underscored the very low efficiency of the current hospital design and layout. The current facility cannot feasibly be added onto or upgraded anymore. The report recommended replacement of the hospital on a different site as the most desirable option for modernization.
After financial and new facility feasibility studies were completed by independent consultants to verify the ability and reasonableness of undertaking a new hospital project, the District Board of Directors, elected by the voters of Wallowa County, made the decision to go ahead with the project. Construction of a new facility will increase the District's ability to recruit top-notch physicians, nurses and other health care professionals and will allow for the potential to expand and keep up with changes in health care technology. In a new facility, Wallowa Memorial Hospital will continue its outstanding tradition of inpatient treatment, and will provide the resources necessary for enhanced outpatient procedures, rehabilitation, specialty services (including surgery), diagnostics and prevention. A new hospital will function in a more effective and cost efficient manner.
An appropriate land site was located and purchased. The Board has taken the position that any new construction must not depend on new taxes. The initial plan is to fund the new hospital construction with grants, donations, business revenue, and a commercial bank loan guaranteed by the USDA. Our Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status under Medicare provides additional payments to the District for investments in new building, equipment and interest charges on borrowed funds, based on the percentage of Medicare and Medicaid patients using the Hospital. These payments come directly from the Federal government and do not increase the amounts paid by patients.
A Construction Manager/General Contractor was selected in the fall of 2004. Skanska USA Building will oversee the construction project. Construction began in the spring of 2005 and was completed in the spring of 2007. Follow these links to see construction photos, and view photos of the new hospital dedication.
Wallowa Memorial Hospital has had continued community support. Learn more about how your donations to Wallowa Memorial Hospital or the Wallowa County Health Care Foundation have helped in the past, and can continue to allow us to improve our services and quality of care for those we serve.
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