GREEN RIVER — Castle Rock Medical Center (CRMC) celebrated the grand opening of their new building with members of the community Wednesday afternoon.
The new facility has been open for business for nearly nine months, but they waited until they could safely host an event with the community to have their grand opening.
CRMC CEO Bailie Dockter said it was important to the staff and providers at Castle Rock to celebrate with the community in which they serve.
Construction on the new building started in August 2019. Part of the funding for the new facility came from a $10 million loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program. The loan program “provides loan guarantees to eligible private lenders to help build essential community facilities in rural areas,” according to information on the USDA website.
With the USDA funding and the low interest rates, Dockter said they decided to take advantage.
Senator John Barrasso was in attendance at the grand opening, and he spoke high praise of the new building.
“What a magnificent building,” Barrasso said.
He spoke of the importance of CRMC in the Green River community and the needs of rural healthcare. Barrasso said the new facility provides a great gathering place for the community. With the importance of having healthcare in rural and small communities, Barrasso said the new facility fulfills a great need.
“We’re shaping the future and we all know here in Wyoming, our best days are still ahead,” he said.
Dockter said it was important to the Board of Directors and the staff to provide a facility that patients feel “confident and comfortable” in coming to for their healthcare needs.
ArchNexus were the architects on the project and Big-D took care of the construction. Both companies are based in Utah.
Julie Berreth, Senior Principal at ArchNexus, said that the building “sets a stage” for excellence, and now the staff and providers can perform their duties in a state of the art facility.
The new facility has allowed for closer collaboration between medical providers. Offices are set up in “pods” designated for family practice and pediatrics.
Within those pods, there are also what they call “the fishbowl”, which is a glass-enclosed area in the middle of the space in which providers, nurses, and schedulers can all work within the same area to provide for better communication among staff.
Dr. Lynn Eskelson (Dr. E) shows the “fish bowl” in one of the family practice pods. Dr. E shows off the spacious examination rooms.
Dr. Connie Faunterloy, Medical Director and Pediatrician at CRMC, said the team-based spaces allow staff to work side by side as a “cohesive team.”
Dockter said the facility has a lab, which was put to the test during the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, and a radiology department. In the future, she said they also want to add urgent care and behavioral health care.
The DEXA bone density scanner. The X-ray room. CRMC’s new lab.
