Officials, residents toast new future of Valley Hospital

PALMER -- It was a celebration some have been waiting years for. Augmented by its seasonal timing, many Valley residents turned out in holiday finery to toast a new future for Valley Hospital.

Around 200 people gathered in the lobby area Monday evening to get a chance to meet Triad Hospitals Inc. officials who had flown up for the event, a celebration of the finalization of the partnership agreement between Valley Hospital Association and Triad. Community members, hospital staff and those interested in establishing business contacts among the hospital's new leadership vied for a chance to shake hands and meet a host of Triad officials.

The decision to partner with Triad and move the hospital from Palmer to a to-be-built, $87.7 million acute care facility near the intersection of Trunk Road and the Parks Highway wasn't always well received by the community.

Louise Harris, president of the Palmer Senior Center, said members of her organization didn't initially like the thought of the hospital moving further away. Having lived in the area for generations, she said, they saw the hospital as part of the community -- something many had invested in over the years. But the reality that better care would be available, along with more available bed space, she said, has changed a lot of minds.

"They're getting used to the idea," Harris said. "They're taking it all in stride."

Jan Barrett said she's excited about the new facility, both because of the expanded health care options and the benefits, in terms of jobs and other bonuses, it will bring to the community. The new hospital may provide easier access for not just Valley residents, but those in the Eklutna, Chugiak and Peters Creek area as well, with the direct access from the Parks Highway providing a speedy alternative to the traffic congestion of Anchorage. Barrett said she's a little sad to see the hospital move -- three of her daughters were born there, she said -- but when she, a member of the association board, had to travel to Anchorage recently to get treatment unavailable at Valley Hospital, the need for the new facility became clear.

"It just doesn't have enough room for patients, and we're losing business," Barrett said.

The touch of bittersweet was barely noticed at Monday's gathering, but Chris Holden, president of Triad's division covering Oregon, California, Texas, West Virginia and now Alaska, said it's something Triad encounters regularly.

"Change always causes a little anxiety, but everyone feels it's the right thing to do," Holden said. "People here have been incredibly supportive."

Holden mentioned the support of the community as well as the medical staff and others involved in the change and, judging from the more than 80-percent approval by hospital association members last year, it's accurate to say that support is broad-based.

With the signed joint venture under their belt, Holden said it's now time to focus on getting the replacement hospital built and ready for service. There's one large piece hanging in the balance that could determine when the hospital opens its doors, as well as how growth progresses in the Valley. That, Holden said, is access to sewer and water. The Regulatory Commission of Alaska has a scheduling hearing set for January in the case to determine whether the service should be provided by the city of Wasilla or Palmer, and funding for the extension from either city's existing boundaries is still part of the yet-to-be-voted-on Omnibus Spending Bill in Congress. Don Kubley, VHA's Washington lobbyist, was optimistic about its chances of passage, possibly in mid-January.

"Any time you have the Alaska delegation working in unison on anything, you stand a good chance," Kubley said.

Holden added that there's been a lot of support from state and local politicos for the utility project, and he doesn't foresee any problems getting the funding through. Holden said although members of the Triad/VHA hospital have lobbied for funding of the sewer and water project, the company hasn't intervened directly in the decision before the RCA.

"We want to be apolitical about that process, not a liability," Holden said. "All the parties understand … and we can live with whatever decision comes down. It just needs to be good service, ready to go, ready to turn on [when the facility is built]."

What will happen to the existing facility, Triad Chief Executive Officer Denny Shelton said, is up to the joint venture board, a board with five representatives from VHA and five from Triad. There are several options, he said -- it could be kept as an outpatient clinic, a surgery center or a behavioral health center, for example, all of which could happen either under the umbrella of the joint venture or by selling the facility.

Shelton said the end goal was to meet the community's needs, so it's difficult to foresee what those needs may be. Although Triad has been involved in several similar mergers, he said, the details of each aren't that similar. He said he was traveling Tuesday to see a similar venture in Eugene, Ore., where Triad is also completing a merger and will be replacing an existing facility that the community has outgrown. Although the two projects may look similar on paper, they're each significantly different.

"Every place is a lot different," Shelton said. "It really just centers around trying to figure out what each community needs."