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New Perham hospital [UPDATED]
Published 11:02am Tuesday, December 27, 2011 Updated 11:19am Tuesday, December 27, 2011It’s 13 days and counting for staff members operating from the new and long-awaited Perham hospital on the southwest side of town.
The integrated hospital and clinic, operated by Perham Health, Sanford, cost $39 million and covers 120,000 square feet of space.
Perham Memorial Hospital and Home (PMHH) and Sanford Health previously signed an enhanced five-year management agreement. PMHH will remain under community ownership, governed by the local board of directors and will retain ownership of all property.
The Perham Hospital District embarked on its most aggressive building project since the hospital was first established nearly 110 years ago.
“Our new facility will provide patients and their families the support and care they need in a comfortable and healing environment,” said Chuck Hofius, chief executive officer of Perham Health. “The new facility will also help the medical staff focus on what’s really important: delivering the care that people need.”
The hospital in Perham, clinics in Perham, New York Mills and Ottertail and the retail pharmacy will be represented by the Perham Health brand.
There were four overriding goals that went into the design for the new hospital in southwest Perham.
The first was supporting patient and family-centered care.
The second was to make sure the building was designed for future growth. Third was to support the caregivers and provide efficiency. The final goal was sustainability, more commonly known as building green.
“We followed as many requirements for building green as possible,” said Hofius. “In addition to energy efficiency, we brought as much nature into the building, as we could, through natural light, wood, water and vegetation.”
Hofius said that planners selected products for the new hospital that are environmentally friendly and will not negatively impact indoor air quality. The goal is to offer a healthy environment for patients, families and employees.
The medical partnership between Perham Memorial Hospital and Home (PMHH) and Sanford Health brings with it an extensive network of providers through stronger relationships with specialists associated with Sanford Health.
The current hospital is 50 years old.
“It was built for a much different patient population than we see today,” said Hofius. “Our rooms in the current facility are much too small for all of the technology required to be a state-of-the-art hospital. We still have double rooms and shared bathrooms that are not accepted standards of today’s care.”
Residents of Perham and the surrounding area are excited about the new heathcare facility. They’re also proud of the inspiring landmark on the southwest side of town.
