Construction has officially commenced on the long-awaited expansion of Pullman Regional Hospital, marking a significant step forward in the facility’s efforts to better serve the community. This milestone follows the approval of the expansion plan by Pullman constituents three years ago, with hospital CEO Matt Forge affirming that the team has been diligently preparing to meet the community’s evolving healthcare needs.
“It’s been a heck of a project,” Forge remarked. “With these things, especially as big and important as they are for our community, we wanted to make sure that we got it right. We feel really great about this project and believe it will improve access to care in our community.”
Details of the Expansion Project
The $41 million Patient Care Expansion Project will be executed in three phases over the next three years. This initiative involves remodeling approximately 30,000 square feet of the hospital, which has been serving Pullman for over two decades. The expansion aims to address the growing demand for healthcare services, indicated by a significant increase in emergency visits and surgeries over the past decade.
The project will enhance access to healthcare in three primary areas: emergency care, expanded procedure space, and outpatient support. Key features of the expansion include the addition of a fifth operating room, ten new emergency patient care rooms—doubling the hospital’s current capacity—and a dedicated mental health space. Furthermore, the installation of two CT scanners and a second endoscopy suite is expected to reduce patient wait times.
The hospital’s design will also focus on streamlining the patient experience by centralizing registration, making check-in and check-out simpler for patients. Forge noted that construction will be phased to ensure that the hospital remains fully operational throughout the process.
Funding and Community Support
The expansion plan has evolved since voters approved a $27.5 million bond in March 2022. Although the initial proposal included a new medical office building, that aspect has been postponed and is now considered a potential fourth phase of the project. Alison Weigley, Director of External Relations, shared that of the total project cost, approximately $24.8 million is allocated for construction, with Bouten Construction Company and Design West Architects contracted for the work.
In addition to the bond funding, the hospital is seeking financial support through philanthropy and has set a fundraising goal of $7 million to be achieved by the end of the multi-year project. To date, the hospital has successfully raised over $1 million, demonstrating strong community backing for the initiative.
“The biggest thing is that we’re just so thankful for the community support,” Forge stated. “We hope that as we reach the end of this project, we can truly make our community proud and live up to their expectations.”
For more information about the expansion project at Pullman Regional Hospital, visit pullmanregional.org/expansion.
