North Platte Valley Medical Center nearing completion

The North Platte Valley Medical Center Project (NPVMC) was born nearly five years ago. Leaders from the community and the Corbett Medical Foundation (CMF) saw financial problems developing at the Platte Valley Clinic that threatened sustainability. CMF formed a subcommittee who were concerned about keeping quality healthcare in the community. They approached Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC) and Ivinson Memorial Hospital (IMH) to find a partner for the clinic, but they couldn't reach an agreement. They also reached out to Health Management Systems (HMS) and came to an agreement to temporarily provide management services for both the care center and the clinic.

The NPVMC Board visited many communities researching how a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) could improve and benefit the community overall. They also conducted a valley-wide healthcare assessment survey which indicated that there was a strong desire for a medical doctor, a 24-hour emergency care facility and a healthcare solution that was not government controlled. HMS recognized the USDA-funded CAH program as a feasible solution for funding.

There are criteria that needs to be met In order to obtain a Critical Access Hospital designation. Hospitals must have less than 25 inpatient beds; be located more than 35 miles from another hospital; maintain an annual average length of stay no longer than 96 hours for acute care patients and provide 24/7 emergency care services. Funding under this program includes approximately 20 percent of the construction; a no-recourse loan from the USDA that funds the remaining construction costs and subsidization by Medicare. The board also had to be granted 501 (c) (3) status and mount a fundraising campaign to meet the required 20 percent of funds from the community.

In 2019. board members held meetings at the Community Center, the SeniorCenter and met with the Ministerial Alliance and Valley Service Organization. The public wanted to know more about the healthcare project and what the impact would be on the Upper North Platte Valley. Initially, residents were told that the site would be on a piece of land between the Forest Service District Office and the Whistle Pig Saloon. Plans for the project–including the floor plan, site plan, interior and exterior elevations were on display in various locations throughout Saratoga, Encampment and Riverside. The public was asked to review and comment on these plans.

In April 2020, the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) accepted a donation of approximately 7.8 acres of land at the intersection of W. Bridge Avenue and N. 13th Street in Saratoga. According to the NPVMC website, the property already had water, sewer and natural gas onsite. Fiber optic was installed by the end of summer. The property was also zoned Retail Business, it only required a building permit. This was an answer to a dilemma that the Board was facing.The owners of the initial property were unable to provide clear title. According to Will Faust, the architectural and construction development that had to be done could easily be adapted to the new site.

In May 2020, the Wyoming Business Council approved a $1 million grant application from the Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (CCIJPB) to improve the water and sewer infrastructure along Bridge Street to the site of the proposed North Platte Valley Medical Center. The grant was matched by $200,000 from the Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation.

By July, the PVHP had raised over $4.7 million from area residents, seasonal visitors and charitable organizations. Letters were not only sent to the Board, generally accompanied by checks, but also to the USDA to encourage the approval of the construction loan.

September 2020 the USDA approved the loan application for $18,392,000 in long term financing.

The site dedication and groundbreaking ceremony was attended by over 100 people October 7, 2020.

January 2021 the long-anticipated approval of a $16 million plan appraisal moved the project forward.

PVHP agreed to assume ownership of the Saratoga Care Center for $1. A win-win for the patients and staff according to the Faust because the ownership change also introduced new funding sources for healthcare equipment and services growth.

The Buy a Brick campaign was launched in May 2021 to raise funds to buy top-of-the-line equipment.

Construction began in August 2021 including pouring concrete and installing plumbing. Structural steel was installed and by mid August interior wall framing began.

In October 2021, Jeff Mincy was named CEO of the Platte Valley Clinic and Saratoga Care Center. He will also be head of administrative operations of the North Platte Valley Medical Clinic.

A $500,000 grant from the Leona M. And Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust was received in March 2022 to purchase an advancedComputed Tomography (CT)Scanner.

Bringing a $22.5 million hospital to Saratoga has not been an easy task. Community members worked tirelessly, without any compensation, to make it happen and now the hospital is near completion.

The leadership team includes Will Faust, Chairman; Sonja Collamer, Vice Chair; George Haigh, Secretary; Teense Willford; Irene Archibald, Treasurer; Leslie McLinskey; Adam D. Clarke; Laura Bucholz, Foundation Liaison.

Thanks to the dogged determination of these individuals, there will be dramatic reductions in the time to care for all types of emergencies and medical conditions.

Last Thursday, September 29, 2022, Mincy gave a tour of the new facility. Construction still continues, mostly interior. There have been delays receiving some items, most importantly electrical components, which postponed the original ribbon cutting. Mincy is confident the facility will be open for business by the beginning of 2023.

First stop in the tour was the ambulance bay which is a climate controlled room with both heat and air conditioning. From the ambulance bay, emergency medical personnel can take the patient directly into the emergency room (ER) or isolate them in a separate area if needed for decontamination.

The isolation room has showers as well with a drainage system that is contained and will not access the town's sewer system. This room is accessible from outside as well as from the ER.

The ER has two trauma rooms separated by frosted glass partitions that allow doctors to move swiftly from patient to patient. There is also a separate room specifically for procedures.

Special thought was given to the lighting in the three ER bays. Green lighting helps to ease anxiety. The ER also has a nearby waiting room for family when a private consultation is needed.

The Long-term care ward was next. It is separated into two wings with private rooms that radiate from the nurses station. There is one, two-person room in the facility as required by Wyoming law.

The residents of Saratoga Care Center that will be moving into this new facility. A sneak peak will be allowed in November once construction is complete.

Mincy said they have planned for growth. The kitchen, for example, has been built larger than needed in order to have the ability to feed more people. In the beginning, the kitchen will only serve the patients. Eventually, they hope to provide meals to staff and patient's families once an estimate of how many patients the hospital will treat is obtained.

The nurses station is very large with plenty of room to accommodate more staff if necessary. They will use a Pyxis MedStation which is an automated medication dispensing system that ensures patients will receive accurate dosages and prevent theft of controlled substances.

The radiology department will include the CT scanner purchased through $500,000 in donations. The CT scanner is state of the art and can be upgraded to double the resolution.

A large donation was received that enabled the purchase of a DEXA scanner to measure bone density. A mammography machine, that is a 2D and 3D, was also purchased enabling them to do diagnostic testing for women't health. The NPVMC has an ultrasound unit that will be used for multiple studies.

Mincy said they have a fluoroscope that will allow them to display a continuous, real-time image of the patient. They will be able to do swallow studies and evaluations, providing more help to those recovering from strokes.

All of the diagnostic equipment information is sent to every computer in the hospital. Using advanced Artificial Intelligence technology from Viz.AI, severe cases will be recognized and treatment will begin immediately.

The laboratory equipment, that was purchased a year ago using the SLIB funding and donations, will be moved to the hospital in January. It is currently being used at the Platte Valley Clinic. The lab will be able to analyze blood chemistry. The high tech blood cell analyzer will save time in diagnosing disease and illness, cutting down the time of treatment considerably. Finding the correct antibiotic can typically take 48 hours or more, but the microbiology analyzer will cut that time to less than 24 hours. This machine can also identify cancer. The NVPMC will also have the ability to identify troponin levels, which can indicate that someone has recently had a heart attack, alerting the doctor that medical intervention is needed immediately. All of this saves time. A few pints of blood will also be allowed to be banked.

A new nephrology practice is developing in Southeast Wyoming. One of their goals is to develop a home dialysis program. They want to come to Saratoga and they are hoping to set up a home dialysis program using the hospital as a base.

The physical therapy room has a view of the mountains. Six large windows fill the room with sunshine. Patients will use this room to work towards rehabilitation after stroke and other medical issues. The PT room also has a fully functional kitchen to help patients build skills that will help them return home safely.

When the hospital opens, Dr. Brenden Fitzsimmons will join the staff as senior medical officer. Ruby Ayres will continue as nurse practitioner.

Even the gnomes, painted on the wall at the Platte Valley Clinic, will be brought to the new facility.The gnomes were painted by John Gilman, a Saratoga resident.

Although the new facility will not have an MRI, Mincy said that special outlets are in place outside for a mobile MRI truck to plug in.

Mincy also addressed concerns that many locals had regarding the lack of housing for employees. Mincy said that 40 of the 68 employees already live in the area. He has been contacted by many local community members, offering rentals and housing for the employees that need it. They are offering to hold their rentals vacant until it's needed.

Specialists are also reaching out to Mincy to provide care in this region. The hospital has rooms set aside for the specialists.

Time will tell how many patients the hospital will have, but Mincy said that people seem excited about having emergency medical care so close to home.