A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of getting another tour of the new Parkview Regional Medical Center; a facility I consider to be a tremendous gift to the entire region.

As I approached the campus and saw the large “Parkview” sign I couldn’t help but be reminded of my long association with this organization. It’s the place where I had one of my very first jobs out of high school working as a nurse’s aide (now called nursing assistants.)  It is the place I had my first job after graduating from nurse’s training as a staff nurse on Pediatrics. And it’s also the place where I met my husband and where I delivered our daughter.

My late husband also had a long association with Parkview; a physician on staff at Parkview for many, many years. He had been president of the medical staff, on the board of directors and was involved in many other aspects of the organization during his long medical career. It was certainly a major part of his professional life and our personal life together. It’s also the place where he received excellent care during his long illness before he died. I was touched during my tour, to bump into one the physical therapists who had taken such good care of him during one of his long hospitalizations. She had been a particular favorite of his and mine. I remember her coming to our home to visit us after he had been released to share a glass of wine and sit by our pool…a lovely memory for me.

On my tour I also realized how much things have changed over the years, for the better. The delightful young woman giving me the tour was pointing out, with enthusiasm, all of the new, state of the art features of this facility. For instance, the gift shop has the typical items you might give a patient during a hospital stay, but it also had other gifts that were related to and promoting a healthy life style. This is a big change from my day when cigarettes were sold in the gift shop and patients could smoke in their rooms and staff members could smoke in break rooms and in the cafeteria. Today, the entire campus is smoke free. Parkview is committed to wellness in life style and contributes a great deal to the community with education and services.

There is a large chapel on the second floor that is a beautiful place where services for all faiths are conducted; a change from the days when Parkview was known as a Methodist hospital. In addition, there is an interfaith prayer room that is available for people to go who feel the need for quiet and restoration. It contains books and resources representing all faiths that visitors can read and use. There is even a small wailing wall there.  I found it to be a very peaceful place.

I could go on and on…Everywhere you turned there is evidence of the attention to detail that went into building this new medical center that will provide the best care in the best way to patients and their families. And I like to think it’s a pretty good place to work too.

This medical center is indeed, a gift to our entire region…a place where you can get the latest and best care medicine has to offer. I am often saddened when I hear people complain and distrust medical expansion. If medicine isn’t changing and expanding I think that it is a signal that a facility isn’t keeping up.

As I continue to do work for and with the leadership at Parkview, I feel glad and proud to be part of such an exciting time at Parkview and in our community.

(Here is a photo of me with some of the leadership at the Parkview Ortho Hospital at the end of some training in “professional courtesy.”)