May 15, 2023 |
Photo – North Platte Valley Medical Clinic – Bigfoot99 file photo
After nearly a year of delays, the North Platte Valley Medical Clinic is open for business.
Construction of the North Platte Valley Medical Clinic began in March of 2021 after two years of planning. The hospital was scheduled to open in the summer of 2022. Trouble with procuring critical electrical equipment and small oversights during government inspections pushed the grand opening to last Friday.
A crowd of over one hundred people sought protection from the drizzling rain under the hospital’s entrance overhang. The North Platte Valley Medical Center’s Chairman of the Board Will Faust began the ceremony by announcing that Monday would be the hospital’s official opening date. Faust said the emergency room would remain closed until necessary medication arrived through the mail.
“Teense” Willford was on hand to introduce the speakers and provide his trademark humor.
After Faust’s speech, members from the American Legion Post 54 Honor Guard arrived with the American and Wyoming State flags. Willford lead the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Platte Valley Assembly of God Pastor Gene Smith took the podium next to offer a prayer for the new hospital. Pastor Gene, as he is known, thanked Jesus for guiding the hospital through the tough construction process and asked the Lord to watch over the workers and patients of the facility.
Governor Mark Gordon, fresh from the Carbon County Courthouse grand re-opening in Rawlins earlier in the day, arrived to give a short speech. The Governor said he approved of the independent way the townspeople procured funding for the hospital.
Board members of the Corbett Medical Foundation along with past and current members of the North Platte Valley Medical Center Board cut the ceremonial ribbon with a pair of oversized scissors.
After the cheering subsided, members of the public were invited inside for a tour of the facility.
The celebration continued into the Platte Valley Community Center where food and drinks were served. Board Chairman Faust thanked everyone who helped bring the hospital to fruition. Faust said community support was needed to secure government funding.
Faust thanked the donors next. He said the hospital received donations before the board began asking for public assistance. Adding together the total amount of private donations and public grants, Faust said the hospital raised $16 million without government support.
Faust thanked everyone who helped with the hospital project by name. He mentioned that Aligned Providers of Wyoming will allow the hospital to have the first emergency room in the history of the Platte River Valley.
Faust said the emergency room wouldn’t be ready to accept patients right away. The Board Chairman said the delay was caused by government bureaucracy. Faust said representatives from Congresswoman Harriet Hageman’s office helped speed the process up.
Senator John Barrasso was scheduled to attend the grand opening, but was unable to make it. In his place, Congressional Staffer Kylie Anderson presented a letter from the Senator. Reading from Senator Barrasso’s letter, Anderson said the North Platte Valley Medical Center will bring comprehensive healthcare to Carbon County.
Senator Cynthia Lummis was also unable to attend the grand opening. Lummis’s representative Lindy Linn read a letter from the Senator. In it, Senator Lummis congratulated the community for working hard to create the most advanced hospital in the area.
Wyoming Director for USDA Rural Development Glenn Pauley said he was impressed by the amount of donations the hospital board received. Pauley said the North Platte Valley Medical Center will save lives.
Starting today, the Platte Valley Clinic will begin seeing patients at its new office within the hospital. The opening date of the emergency room is unknown.
