Truly local new hospital a big win for Valley

After years of planning and months of construction, the Valley's new Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is set to open its doors to the public later this week.

The $101-million, 214,729-square-foot facility has already been showcased in a series of open houses, special tours and chamber of commerce events last week.

The final ceremonial event happens today, when hospital administrators, joined by Gov. Frank Murkowski, local elected officials and other dignitaries, will host a public ribbon-cutting at the facility, which is located off Trunk Road near the intersection of the Parks and Glenn highways. An open house will follow.

It is an excellent opportunity for residents to see what all the hype is about - and to find out for themselves how much the hype is deserved.

Hospital officials are rightly proud of the beautiful new state-of-the-art facility, which adds services previously not available at Valley Hospital and improves local access to health care.

The new medical center increases patient capacity by 46 percent and doubles the number of hospital-affiliated physicians.

New cardiology, pulmonary, radiology and other high-tech services will provide an increased level of convenience to the community and enable the hospital to reach patients who would otherwise have had to travel to Anchorage.

Another reason for residents to be proud of their new hospital is its truly local flavor. The hotel-like hospital interior is dressed up with an amazing collection of art, almost exclusively provided by local artists.

The effort to &#8220keep it local” with the interior decorating was not accidental. It's a fine example of the importance of &#8220shopping the Valley” and keeping commercial money in the local economy, where it continues to have a positive impact on all residents.

A huge part of that impact began with the construction phase, when about 1,800 new jobs were created, adding $63.7 million in goods and services to the borough economy.

With the facility up and running, more doctors means more support staff.

Projected hospital revenues total $106.5 million annually, and the facility is expected to generate approximately $1.3 million per year in property taxes. It all adds up to a big win for Mat-Su residents.

Congratulations to all the individuals and businesses that had a hand in bringing the hospital online - and thanks for prioritizing local considerations all the way through.