NVH celebrates five years in new facility

When Hank Ricklefs has out of town visitors he likes to take them by North Valley Hospital.

His guests’ reaction is usually to ask if it’s truly a hospital.

“They say it seems more like a spa or a resort,” he said. “They can’t believe that patients look out at that view.”

Ricklefs, chairman of the hospital board of directors, is proud of North Valley Hospital and where it has come in the last five years since moving into its location on the south end of Whitefish.

Ricklefs was involved with NVH prior to the move. He said the new facility is critical for today and the future.

“If we had not made the move, we would have become increasingly noncompetitive,” he said. “If we’d had to stay there, we’d be winding down the facility.

“The location is key to our success. It has been for the last five years and will be for the next five to 25 years.”

Ricklefs notes there is also a “spirit to this place.”

Hospital CEO Jason Spring seems to agree.

“We have a really dedicated staff that goes along with part of our design that is for the benefit of patients,” he said. “Our building is constructed around patient-centered care.”

The 82,352 square-foot hospital opened on March 22, 2007. It is 60 percent larger than the former hospital building.

The new hospital cost $27.9 million with $6.3 million of the cost offset by donations.

The move into a new facility was the culmination of more than six years of site selection, planning, fundraising, design, equipment purchase, new equipment training and preparation efforts by hospital staff.

Since opening in the new location, NVH has continued to increase and improve the services offered. Some of those changes have included the launch of a mental health program for seniors, adding a robotics surgical unit and earning the designation as a community trauma center.

“When we’re recruiting physicians they look at the location, but also the equipment and technology we have,” Spring said. “The equipment we have blows their mind.”

The number of babies born at the hospital’s birth center has continued to increase. NVH hit a record last May with 61 babies born that month.

NVH follows the Planetree model of healthcare that focuses on providing patient-centered care and a healing environment. The building has been designed with that in-mind, notes Spring.

“The building was constructed around patient-centered care,” Spring said. “Those are the little things that make the difference. The building and staff — you won’t find another like it in the state.”

The hospital has separate entrances so patients aren’t lumped together in one waiting area. The building’s layout with a main corridor and several entryways to other sections of the hospital allows for maximum privacy.

Natural colors were chosen to create a calm and home-like feeling. Art on the walls is meant to create an atmosphere where beautiful things can be appreciated. There’s never any overhead paging to continue the calming atmosphere. Patient rooms have open floor plans with large windows for natural light.

As part of its patient-centered care, the hospital offers music therapy, massage therapists and has a health library that is open to the public.

“It’s warm and inviting,” said Catherine Todd, NVH’s director of marketing. “All these elements go hand in hand.”

For the third year in a row, NVH in 2011 was recognized for its patient care. Based on the Avatar International patient satisfaction system, the hospital earned the Overall Best Performance award. Last year NVH also earned the Exceeding Patient Expectations Award for the eighth consecutive year.

Ricklefs said in elected health care, people talk to others about their past experience before choosing a hospital.

“It’s about positive word of mouth,” he said. “Those high scores reflect repeat business.”

The hospital has looked to not only differentiate itself from Kalispell Regional Medical Center, but also partner with KRMC.

Ricklefs said the proximity of the two facilities makes it important for NVH to create a unique experience, but also join KRMC on important projects that work toward better health care.

Spring said the idea is to allow both hospitals to compliment each other and have a coordinated effort.

“We said ‘Let’s be the best at what we do,’” he said. “We want to allow them to handle certain things and we’ll excel at others to the benefit of our community.”

The past five years has seen growth for NVH. The hospital has added about 100 employees and has a $15 million payroll.

“Health care is a thriving industry,” Spring said. “We’ve added jobs and we’re one of the few that has done that.”

In addition to the hospital building, the NVH campus has continued to thrive with several medical offices on the 2-acre village adjacent to the hospital. NVH also operates clinics in Columbia Falls and Eureka.

“We want to deliver community health care,” Spring said. “Our goal is to move from hospital toward community health.”

NVH gives back to the community, Spring noted, with more than $19 million in charity care, community health education and funding.

Both Spring and Ricklefs see continued growth for NVH. They expect changes in technology and the health care industry to continue.

“We’re happy to be here and hope we’ll be here another 100 years,” Spring said.