Community Benefits from New Facilities, Programs
Published Apr 17, 2007
Among the new facilities at North Suburban Medical Center in Thornton is a cardiovascular catheterization suite where heart patients benefit from state-of-the-art imaging equipment and monitoring devices for diagnostic and interventional procedures.
The health-care climate in the Metro North region already is thriving by any measure, and it’s getting even healthier as several medical centers expand their facilities and programs.
These additions are a big shot in the arm for the economy, health officials say, not to mention a boon for patients.
Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton is one example of the region’s burgeoning health-care scene. The nonprofit, community-owned medical center is building a state-of-the-art, $138 million campus that is scheduled to open in summer 2007.
“Over the last several years, we have seen tremendous growth in the area,” says Charmaine Weis, co-director of marketing for Platte Valley Medical Center. “Our critical care inpatient base has grown by 176 percent over the past five years, and our obstetrics and nursery inpatient days grew by 122 percent.”
In addition, outpatient visits increased by 70 percent, surgery cases by 95 percent and emergency room visits by 65 percent.
The new 50-acre campus will accommodate a trio of three-story buildings with a total of about 287,000 square feet of space – triple the amount of the current facility.
Some upcoming expanded services will include a neonatal nursery – in a partnership with The Children’s Hospital of Denver – and a heart program with the addition of a cardiac catheterization laboratory.
Just across the Broomfield County line, Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center opened its doors in December 2004, bringing to Lafayette a 477,000-square-foot hospital with healing gardens, a walking path, animal-assisted therapy, open visitation for family members and private rooms with a view of the mountains or open space.
“When we looked at the demographics and the growth in the Denver metro area, there was clearly a need,” says Sandy Cavanaugh, vice president of community development for Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center.
In addition to its extensive array of medical services, Exempla offers a health and healing center where integrative therapies are available – massage therapy, acupuncture, yoga classes, healing touch and more.
In April 2006, St. Anthony North Hospital in Westminster completed an 18-month, $7 million expansion and renovation of its emergency department. The project added 12,000 square feet of space, increased the number of patient treatment rooms from 20 to 32 and improved workflow for the clinical staff.
In fall 2005, North Suburban Medical Center in Thornton opened a new sleep center offering a full range of diagnostic services. The medical center also partnered with Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center and some of its pediatric specialists to open a pediatric sub-specialty clinic on the NSMC campus, and it recently added a cardiovascular catheterization suite.
“The north metro Denver area is experiencing tremendous growth in population and housing with a corresponding increase in young families with children,” says Todd Steward, chief executive officer of North Suburban Medical Center. “These families expect to receive high-quality, specialty health care in their communities without the need to deal with traffic congestion and the associated inconvenience of a drive to downtown Denver.”
Story by Rebecca Denton
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