Grande Ronde Hospital set to expand
Jun. 11—LA GRANDE — A major construction project that will boost its surgical facilities is set to get underway at Grande Ronde Hospital.
The $72.6 million project will add a 98,000-square-foot surgical services building at the hospital campus. The main function of the multi-story building will be to house new operating rooms.
"It will allow us to bring all surgical services together," said Mardi Ford, the director of communications and marketing at Grande Ronde Hospital.
Ford said patient check-in, pre-operation, operating, waiting and post-operation recovery rooms, plus space that supports surgical services, will be in one structure.
Ford said the hospital's operating rooms were built in the 1960s and are in need of replacement even though they have been upgraded since then. She said the ceilings of the operating rooms met all state codes when built. However, now they are between 18 and 24 inches too low to meet state building codes, an issue the construction of the new building will address.
Ford said the state granted a waiver to the hospital for the ceiling height problem, but the waiver expires in 2028.
She said the new building will help GRH recruit and retain talented surgeons.
"Surgeons interested in coming here want to know where they will be working," she said.
Ford said the ultimate purpose of the project is to help people.
"This building is for everyone. We see it as a gift to Union County," she said. "The entire purpose of this is patient care."
Ford said the fact the hospital is now in a position to launch such a major project is an indication of how well it survived the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is a testament to the fact that we have had the kind of leadership now and over the past, that we are in a position to even do this," she said.
The building project is expected to take two years and will force a 970-foot segment of Sunset Drive — from K Avenue south to H Avenue — to be closed for two years. The closure, which will apply to all vehicles and pedestrians, will begin Monday, June 20. The intent of the closure is to keep everyone out of harm's way.
"Safety is our No. 1 concern," Ford said.
Ford said the closure will not adversely impact emergency or patient access to the main emergency room or hospital entrance or impact patient access to the hospital's clinics on the south side of the campus.
"GRH has worked to anticipate and consider every impact this expansion project may have on our community," she said.
Ford said the hospital has been especially concerned about the impact the closure and work will have on people living nearest to the hospital campus.
Ford noted that on Friday, May 27, the hospital mailed residents detailed packets of information on the project and invited them to meet with Jeremy Davis, the president and chief executive officer, to discuss any concerns or questions.
