Members of the public can get a sneak peek at the new Prosser Memorial hospital a month before it opens, with open houses planned the next two Saturdays.
Tours of the new hospital building, located just north of Interstate 82 off North Gap Road, will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 11 and 18.
Among the areas open to the public are operating rooms, Family Birthplace suites, the ICU, trauma bays, wound and infusion care area, the Whitehead Education Center and the cafeteria. Tours will be offered in English and Spanish.
The $125 million, 88,000-square-foot hospital is scheduled to open Feb. 1 with expanded services and facilities, Prosser Memorial Health CEO Craig Marks said in a news release.
Marks said the new hospital has 25 private patient rooms, four of which are designated for intensive care, and a significantly expanded emergency department with 14 rooms, including two trauma rooms.
Prosser Memorial's surgical facilities will include five new operating suites with advanced technology and imaging capabilities, Marks said.
Other enhancements at the new facility are an expanded wound and infusion care center and a cardio rehabilitation program. And the new hospital will include a full-service cafeteria, offering an on-site dining option for patients, visitors and staff.
In the news release, Prosser Memorial officials said patient demand has increased by 20% annual over the past five years, with much of this growth coming from the Yakima Valley.
Besides its current hospital at 723 Memorial St. in Prosser, PMH operates clinics in Grandview, Prosser and Benton City. It has offered health care to Prosser and surrounding communities for more than 75 years.
It is a publicly owned and operated hospital, governed by the seven-member Prosser Public Hospital District board of commissioners.
For more information, visit www.prosserhealth.org.