Medical Center groundbreaking Oct. 15

Groundbreaking on Carson Valley Medical Center’s nearly $30 million expansion is scheduled for Oct. 15, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Prater said on Thursday.

Prater shared the timeline for construction of the project with participants in a virtual Critical Issues Conference.

He said that remodeling on two projects is underway with those spaces expected to be done in the first couple of months of 2022.

“Exterior site work should begin a month from now and by May 4, we’ll be doing the work on the new building,” he said.

Prater estimated completion of the work would be sometime toward the end of 2023 in preparation to open in the first quarter of 2024.

He said construction will result in 100-150 construction jobs.

Prater said he hopes to limit interruption to the operation of the hospital one work begins.

The new room will allow the hospital to bring some of its operations back to Gardnerville from the Ironwood facility.

Among those improvements will be expanding the current café to a proper cafeteria where food will be cooked on site.

They’ll also expand the emergency room and offer meeting rooms.

“Health care is the most highly regulated industry in the United States,” Prater said. 

In response to a question about the contest conducted last summer seeking suggestions for a new name, Prater said he didn't know if the facility would receive a new monicker to go with it's expanded offerings.

As reported by The R-C in May, the 44,000-square-foot project will expand the emergency room from five to 12 beds, increase the operating room from two limited rooms to three full-sized rooms, add two procedure rooms. The center was built in 1993 and is operated jointly by Barton Memorial Hospital and Renown Regional Medical Center. The expansion should be ready for the hospital's 30th anniversary.