The Power County Hospital District is very excited to finally be moving forward with construction of a NEW Therapy Services building with physical, occupational, and speech therapy services to provide a more comprehensive approach to therapy for patients in the community! Our selected construction manager, Construction Services Inc. will begin work this month to tear down the District Annex building at 488 Highland to begin prepping for the new therapy building to come.
This new building will replace the current aging trailer unit being used for therapy services that is long past its useful life. This project was part of the original facility renovation plans started in 2017 by the District. Unfortunately, due to the rising cost of construction that was outside of the bond budget and the immense challenges for the Hospital during COVID, the District had to delay finishing the project until now. The good news is that we are now finishing this project funded partially with District savings.
The District was also very fortunate to hear this spring that the PCHD Foundation Inc. received a large grant from the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust for $310,000 towards this construction project with the opportunity to receive an additional $90,000 grant match if the funds can be raised over the next year! The Foundation will be using funds from their upcoming golf tournament, June 7 and 8 to help with the grant match as well as the incredible generosity of our employee donations. The Foundation will also be working on other fundraising options over the next year including a community donation campaign that will include the opportunity for generous donors to be acknowledged in the new building on our donor wall. This is an amazing opportunity to help with the construction costs of the project that will save District and taxpayer funding for future healthcare equipment needs to serve the community.
The District currently offers a full range of physical therapy services for all ages and conditions with therapists Julie Colt and Tessa Hansen. We are looking to expand services with another therapist in the near future. A new Speech Therapist, Trent Gunnell, recently joined the District after a nearly ten year absence of this service in the community. He has a wide range of experience helping children and adults with a multitude of conditions. We are very fortunate to have him here to help local patients with speech services that are often needed multiple times a month. Lastly the District has been working part-time with local Occupational Therapist Kylee Permann and will have an additional full-time OT starting this summer to help patients with local care. This final addition to the therapy team will help provide more comprehensive therapy services and better, easier access for local patients in need of one or all types of treatments.
The District and staff appreciate the community’s support with this project to help continue in providing the best, local healthcare services we can. A groundbreaking ceremony is being planned for May 20th and you can watch for updates on the construction and fundraising progress in the local Power County Press and Facebook in the coming months!