New $64M Willits hospital opens
After three years of construction and anticipation, the new $64 million Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital officially opens its doors Oct. 29 in the central Mendocino County city of Willits.
“This three-year construction process has taken longer than expected and the leadership team, providers and all staff, have been amazing in their determination and hard work throughout the preparation to open the new hospital,” said Rick Bockmann, hospital president and CEO in a statement.
The old hospital is just over a mile away from the new facility at 1 Marcela Dr., but the two buildings are worlds apart.
“Aside from being earthquake-proof, the new HMH is designed for the patient experience,” said Amy Ford, project manager for the construction. “It’s built to foster a healing environment for our patients.”
The new hospital is more than double the size of the old one. The 74,000-square-foot facility features 25 private inpatient rooms in a setting designed to be aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. The hospital was built from the ground up to incorporate the latest technology in health care design. It includes some of the latest technology for operating rooms, a large Emergency Department with trauma bays, and a helipad, dedicated in honor of the late Little Lake Fire Chief Jeff Smith.
Out front, there’s also a bronze statue of famed racehorse Seabiscuit, in a nod to the hospital’s history.
“The journey was not without its challenges, but through everyone’s hard work we are at the final lap of our race,” Bockmann said. “We hope you love it as much as we do. This is for you, this is your hospital.”
Services at the hospital include the Orthopedic Joint Center of Northern California, radiology imaging, laboratory, inpatient and outpatient surgery, 24-hour emergency services and physical therapy. There is also a full-service restaurant.
In addition to state-of-art operating rooms and a spacious emergency department, the new hospital has beautiful artwork displayed, created by local artists in Mendocino County, adding to the feeling of comfort and healing.
The project general contractor was HBE, a design-build firm out of St. Louis, Mo.
One of the notable features of the new facility are skylights illuminated with LED images that can be configured with cloud formations, wildlife, trees and other foliage from the four seasons. This skylight technology, from Sky Factory, will be providing blue skies at the main lobby, surgery lobby, lab and imaging lobby, MRI and the CT room. The $175,000 lights were made possible through hospital employees who helped raise the money for the facility’s foundation.
Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital owned by Adventist Health, a faith-based, not-for-profit health care system serving California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.
“I’ve never seen a facility with such high-quality scores and high marks for its patient experience,” said Scott Reiner, president and CEO of Adventist Health. “This, combined with overwhelming support from its foundation and community, is what makes this such a special place.”
