Riverton Hospital to open next month

Primary Children's Medical Center just moved closer to tens of thousands of Utahns, whose children can now get specialized treatment at Intermountain Healthcare's new Riverton Hospital.

Community leaders joined hospital officials and stakeholders on Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new 58-bed, 400,000-square-foot facility, scheduled to open for business on Nov. 2 after a public open house Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The $162 million facility incorporates a three-story satellite facility for Primary Children's patients, the first of its kind to extend the hospital's reach beyond the University of Utah campus.

About one-third of the families who use Primary Children's services live in the southwest quadrant of the Salt Lake Valley, and nearly 45 percent of the population there is 18 years or younger, according to Justin Pallari, the hospital's assistant administrator.

The three-story children's facility was decorated with small patients in mind, featuring an "under the sea" mural and feel on the ground floor, with a "land" theme on the second floor and "the sky" on the third level. Outpatient surgical care will be available at the hospital, as will many of the other services residents have previously driven about an hour to access.

The Riverton facility is an acute-care hospital and features a new birthing center that will assist in an estimated 2,000 deliveries per year, as well as emergency services, urology, orthopedics, general surgery, a pharmacy and imaging technology.

Intermountain Healthcare has long envisioned a hospital in the area, said Douglas Black, chair of Intermountain's urban central region board of trustees. "The hospital we designed 10 years ago has changed significantly," he said, as explosive growth has highlighted the need for care that focuses on both children and families.

As Intermountain leaders began formulating plans for the new hospital a decade ago, Black said they found that Primary Children's officials were also looking to develop a "southwest strategy," and the two entities began talking about how they could share costs, resources and facilities.

That collaboration makes the new complex "unique in the (Intermountain Healthcare) system" and part of the nonprofit's "integrated health-care delivery system," that has garnered national attention for its ability to deliver quality care while containing cost, said Intermountain's chief executive officer, Dr. Charles Sorensen.

"While it's nice to be recognized by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and even President (Barack) Obama, it's even better to be recognized" for quality care "among those we serve," he said.