February 25, 2020

The Lake Chelan Community Hospital and Clinics (LCCHC) Board of Commissioners voted to pause design and construction of the new hospital project for 6-months and then reevaluate finances.  The Board of Commissioners held a special board meeting on February 11, 2020 to discuss solutions focused on improving the hospitals overall finances and operations.  Click for Press Release

October 5, 2019
The Lake Chelan Community Hospital and Clinics (LCCHC) Board of Commissioners voted to accept the schematic design concept for the new hospital building at a special Board meeting Oct. 1. The approval allows the team to continue forward with specific design development, explained Mike Ellis, LCCHC Interim CEO. Project is on schedule to break ground in Spring 2020, complete in late 2021. Click here for press release.

August 15, 2019
An architect from CollinsWoerman met with LCCHC leaders and administration last week to review the updated schematic design, which includes changes leaders requested at previous meetings. The goal is to finish the schematic design by the end of August. The hospital also had a call with the Department of Health (DOH) on Aug. 13 as an introductory discussion of the hospital project. The DOH will ultimately have to review/approve LCCHC’s project before construction commences. “DOH was very complimentary of the draft site plan and hospital design,” said LCCHC CEO Steve Patonia, “and our team responded to their questions and comments. It was a very productive week.”

July 2019
Work continues to move forward on the design of the new hospital building. Architects will be in Chelan July 22-25 to meet with hospital caregivers as they add detail to the current schematic design. Architects and caregivers will work together to ensure we build the most efficient building for our community.

June 20, 2019
The Lake Chelan Community Hospital & Clinics Board of Commissioners voted to approve the block design for the new hospital building at their regular meeting on Tuesday, June 18. The design allows for future expansion. Click here to see the DRAFT document.

May 29, 2019
After Board approval at yesterday’s regular Board meeting,  Dick Bratton of Seattle will be the new hospital building’s project manager, and Jerry Boyce of Chelan will be the owner’s rep. The two will work together on the project.

May 17, 2019
New hospital building updates presented at Community forum, groundbreaking Spring 2020 FULL STORY
Updated Timeline

April 2019
At the regular Board meeting April 23, 2019, the Board approved the new hospital building’s space program for approximately 54,000 square feet, projected to cost just below the $44.5 million budgeted amount. The Board also gave approval for the district to proceed to the building’s schematic design phase.

The new hospital building will provide sufficient services and volumes for the next five plus years, with growth areas to be designed for expansion when needed. The building will include a total of 21 hospital beds (nine medical/surgical/OB beds, 10 Sanctuary beds, and two conversion beds that can be used for either department), two large operating room suites and a procedure room. There will be seven emergency department rooms and triage, as well as all required and anticipated outpatient and ancillary services for future growth, said Steve Patonai, LCCHC CEO. The clinic will be located on the hospital campus in the future.

The Board will hold a District Forum for the Hospital on Wednesday, May 8 at the Lake Chelan Senior Center from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. Board members will give presentations and answer public questions at the meeting.

March 2019
The LCCHC Board of Commissioners voted at their regular March 26 Board meeting to hold a District Forum on the Hospital Wednesday, May 8 at the Lake Chelan Senior Center at 5:30 PM to share their vision and and answer public questions. The Board scheduled an open workshop meeting on April 16 from 4:30 – 6:30 PM to prepare for the District Forum.

Winter 2018/19
A recent drop in interest rates means tax savings for local homeowners, who will pay about 33 cents per thousand for 25 years on the community’s new hospital building project. This is both a lower amount and shorter time period than anticipated. Click here for more.

October 2018 Update
Lake Chelan Community Hospital & Clinics (LCCHC) received USDA loan approval Tuesday, Oct. 23 for a total of $22,026,000 for the new hospital building project. Click here for more.

May 2018 Update
The building projects remains in the planning and permitting phase, with anticipated groundbreaking in 2019 and occupancy in 2020. We will post more updates as they become available.

February 2018 Update
The new facility is still in the planning and permitting phase. Architects CollinsWoerman have visited LCCHC twice this winter to meet with caregivers about space and design. At the February board meeting, the company made a presentation to the board. Click here to access presentation.

October/November 2017 Updates

11/29/17 update
At the 11/28/17 LCCHC regular board meeting, the Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the LCCHC pre-construction contract with Bouten Construction Company.

Lake Chelan Community Hospital & Clinics (LCCHC) announces Bouten Construction Company as the general contractor for the new hospital facility at Chelan’s Apple Blossom center near WalMart.

Bouten, based in Spokane, has been a regional leader in healthcare construction for more than 70 years, building some of the largest and most complex facilities from eastern Washington to western Montana, as well as critical access hospitals and clinics. The company has established strong ties with local trade partners and city and state governing authorities across the region.

Bouten’s healthcare track record dates back to its founding in 1944, and 75 percent of its projects involve healthcare, including Spokane’s Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital and Richland’s Kadlec Regional Medical Center. In Chelan, Bouten will work with the CollinsWoerman-led design team to develop creative and sustainable projects solutions for LCCHC.

The company’s experience in Eastern Washington means they are used to building in harsh weather conditions with tight budgets. Seven years ago, they incorporated Lean principles into their processes; these focus on eliminating waste in both time and scope, enabling the company to deliver Chelan’s new hospital building faster and more cost effectively.

Similarly, to achieve budget success, there will be a high level of eastern Washington trade partners working on the Chelan project, according to the proposal by Bouten. These regional firms will offer more competitive pricing and be better positioned to provide adequate manpower during construction, it said.

Lake Chelan Hospital received nine general contractor proposals for the project after it was unanimously approved to use the General Contractor / Contractor Manager (GC/CM) building method, said Kevin Abel, LCCHC CEO. Those proposals were narrowed down to four excellent options, who were interviewed Sept. 27 in Chelan. After review, the final decision to hire Bouten was made Oct. 16.

“The point-scale process we used to choose Bouten was very sound and systematic,” said Mary Signorelli, LCCHC Board of Commissioners Chair. “We were determined to get the best general contractor for this project, and we feel confident in Bouten’s ability to work with our architect and local project team to complete the job in a timely manner and stay within our budget boundaries. We look forward to working with them on this project that will carry us into the future.”

September 2017 Update
Lake Chelan Community Hospital & Clinics (LCCHC) had a terrific response to the request for proposals from general contractors, says Kevin Abel, LCCHC CEO. The organization received proposals from nine major contracting firms and is now in the review process.

August 2017 Update
The USDA grant application has been submitted. Over 15 contractors attended an informational meeting about the new hospital project Aug. 22. They met with General Contractor / Construction Manager (GC/CM) selection team: GC/CM consultant Dick Bratton, LCCH CEO Kevin Abel, LCCH Board Chair Mary Signorelli, project manager Barry Leahy & LCCH board member Phyllis Gleasman.

July 31, 2017 Update:
The State Project Review Committee unanimously approved the proposal by Lake Chelan Community Hospital & Clinics (LCCHC) to use the Construction Manager / General Contractor (GC/CM) building method for the new hospital facility last Thursday, July 27 after they heard an hour-long presentation by the LCCHC team. CLICK HERE FOR PRESS RELEASE

June 1 Update: We are currently in the process of applying to use the Construction Manager / General Contractor (GC/CM) method for the new hospital facility. With overlapping design and construction phases, this collaborative method incorporates the contractor’s point of view into the project much sooner than design-bid-build. The contractor is hired early enough to contribute expertise and order materials much earlier. Early inclusion of the contractor also helps the design phase transition seamlessly into the construction phase. Other GC/CM benefits include better budget control and time savings.

May 2017 Update: We are currently in the financing phase of the project, working with the USDA and other financial consultants. Our architect is CollinsWoerman in Seattle. There will be one year of planning and permitting and two years of construction.

REPORTS

Master Planning June 2

Minutes from June 14 Special Facility Planning Meeting