After two years of remodeling and construction, the Walla Walla (Wash.) General Hospital (WWGH) $16 million capital campaign renovation project is complete. To mark the special occasion, WWGH hosted an open house event in September during which nearly 600 community members, board members, medical staff, volunteers and employees gathered to celebrate. The event featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, hors d'oeuvres served by Creekside Café (cafeteria) and employee-led tours of the renovated areas.
The new front entrance to the hospital features a spacious lobby that reflects the agricultural roots of the Walla Walla Valley. "The WWGH mission — restoring peace, hope and health — was our number one priority with this project. We accomplished our mission through the design, colors and open spaces created in the hospital," says Linda Givens, WWGH critical care services director.
A centralized registration pavilion, located in the main lobby, consolidates all services and allows for a single check-in area for hospital guests, with the exception of emergency care. The hospital's emergency and chest pain center was also developed with patient care and comfort in mind. The "no wait" facility has doubled in size and features the latest lifesaving technology with private triage areas and modern exam rooms in addition to areas for advanced specialty care.
Creekside Café has been transformed into a restaurant-style facility, designed to focus on nutrition and healthy living. Hallways leading to other hospital services have been made more accessible, such as to Walla Walla's only accredited chest pain center, complete with a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization lab. Patient rooms in the medical/surgical unit have been enlarged, birth center rooms have been remodeled and updated with centralized monitoring, and a new gift shop has been opened.
Structural design of the renovated hospital was a combined effort between PKA Architects, based in Portland, Ore., and Walla Walla contractors Opp & Seibold General Construction.
Patient satisfaction at WWGH continued to grow over the past year, climbing well above national averages. Monty Knittel, WWGH president and CEO, says, "In a way, the renovations are an outward manifestation of the quality care we have always provided."
Monty Knittel, WWGH president and CEO, cuts the ribbon during the open house event accompanied by church and community members, in addition to hospital and structural leaders with the project: (from left) Paul Hoover, Upper Columbia Conference president and WWGH board vice chairman; Jim Barrow, Walla Walla mayor; Larnie Opp, Opp & Seibold General Construction; Monty Knittel; David Woolson, Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce president; Tom Underhill, WWGH medical staff president; and Steve Kolberg, PKA Architects chief architect.
The new no-wait emergency and chest pain center features a large, comfortable reception area and modern exam rooms with the latest technology.
Walla Walla General Hospital’s new front entrance and lobby create a warm, inviting and light-filled space, reflecting the agricultural roots of the Walla Walla Valley in southeastern Washington.
