New medical center will do the Valley proud

January 22, 2006

Kari-Out\Kari Sleight

Mat-Su residents will have yet another reason to be proud to call the Valley home when the new Mat-Su Regional Medical Center opens its doors for business at 7 a.m. Friday.

If you haven't yet had a chance to tour the modern new facility, you have another chance during the ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m. today.

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center CEO Norm Stephens, director of marketing and public relations Elizabeth Ripley and the entire hospital staff and volunteers have much to be proud of in the new state-of-the-art hospital.

As you enter through the front door, you're welcomed by the warmth of a dual-sided fireplace that serves as the lobby's centerpiece.

Regardless of which direction you go after entering, you're treated to one of the finest collections of Alaska art in the state.

The attention to detail put into the construction and finish work of the new hospital could rival many luxury resorts and would be the envy of any big-city hospital, right down to the lullaby bell that sounds throughout the hospital corridors as each new baby is welcomed to the Valley in the facility's modern birthing center.

Aesthetics aside, the new Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is well-equipped to handle the medical needs of this growing community. The hospital opens with three modern, fully equipped operating rooms, and the potential to open three additional rooms as growth warrants. The intensive care unit is well-planned and equipped with the latest high-tech medical gear, as is the emergency room. And, the quality physicians the hospital has successfully recruited over the past few years have virtually eliminated the need to make the commute to town to seek medical care, further diminishing the Valley's dependence on Anchorage. The Valley is growing into its own economic hub, and Mat-Su Regional Medical Center will play a large part in our economic independence.

I congratulate everyone involved in bringing the concept of this amazing facility to fruition; you have much to be proud of. I find much comfort in knowing the Valley has this modern facility filled with competent and caring health-care professionals should I find myself in need.

Kari Sleight is the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman's publisher. Contact her at 352-2255 or kari.sleight@

frontiersman.com.