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Facilities Improvements – A long time in the making

While the residents of the hospital district passed a Bond Issue initiative to fund major improvements to the medical facilities at Cascade Medical Center in September 2005, the planning process behind the facilities improvement project actually began in September 2002, when the Board of Commissioners for the hospital district began an assessment of the current Medical Center structures. This assessment was completed in October 2002 and it presented a number of significant findings.

It was determined that the clinic needed more space to accommodate an increasing number of patients and providers. Both the Hospital and Clinic buildings were aging and changes in the building code meant that the Heating, Air Conditioning, Air Exchange and Plumbing systems were now below the new code. The signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act also created a new set of standards and the existing buildings were only minimally compliant.

As a result, the Board of Commissioners instructed the district administration to begin investigation and analysis of facilities improvement options, including sites for a possible replacement facility. Public input was actively sought throughout the process and a series of public meetings were initiated that would continue well into 2005. In February, 2003 the initial options were presented and in April 2004 preliminary facility requirements and cost estimates were compared. In August 2004 costs and specifications were updated, financing options were evaluated and regulatory considerations were identified.

Public input helped influence the project in a number of fundamental ways. Participants at the public meetings were asked to respond to a number of questions, such as “What should be done to upgrade your clinic and hospital facilities?” and “Would you be willing to increase the financial support you provide to your clinic and hospital?” The schematic plans for the proposed facility improvements were also presented and revised based upon community feedback.

The September 2005 Bond initiative passed at almost 70% - perhaps in part due to the efforts of the Board of Commissioners and District Administration over the previous three years. Much of those efforts had been focused on the involvement of district residents and the incorporation of their feedback into the planning process.
The facilities improvements are scheduled to be complete in 2009, more than seven years after the process was initiated. The successful completion of the project will be due to the efforts of many people; efforts sustained over many years.