Star Valley Health has announced it will hold a groundbreaking event on Friday May 21 at 5 PM as construction will begin on its Alpine Healthcare Facility.
COO Mike Hunsaker says this is something that has been in the works for over two years and wanted to start last year but the COVID pandemic delayed it. There is a small facility there with urgent care, but he says with the area growing there is a greater need to provide more health services.
“We’re going to build nearly a 13,000 square foot clinic,” Hunsaker said. “Which will also have some shelled space in it that we can add to that clinic in the near future depending on what the community needs for healthcare services.”
He says it will continue to offer family medicine and urgent care but will expand to include specialty providers such as pain management and orthopedics among other things. This will help so people do not have to drive to various places, even to Afton, to receive care.
“We’re excited to be able to provide that to the community,” Hunsaker said.
He says the plan is to have the building finished by May of 2022.
The Star Valley Health Charitable Foundation is a non-profit organization and they are working with Star Valley Health to raise funds to build the new facility. Chairman of the board of the foundation, Dale Cottom, says it will match any donation of $5,000 or more and those contributions are tax deductible.
“We’ve been planning this for a long time,” Cottom said. “We’re very excited about providing financial support and fundraising through a capital campaign.”
Director for the organization, Mark Taylor, says this is a big deal for Star Valley and so they want as many dignitaries as possible there. All three representatives for Wyoming in Washington D.C. have made partial commitments. He says they are also inviting town councils from Thayne and Alpine along with county commissioners.
“We want all of those folks there to be a part of this,” Taylor said. “We have our golden shovels will be turning ground over.”
There will be free food, ice cream, and big tents set up for the event.
“We really want it to be a fun atmosphere,” Taylor said. “Where we break ground for this facility and really one more thing to tie our valley together.”
He says it will be a little bit in front of the site of where the hospital is going to go. He also says there will be plenty of parking and there will be hand outs given to those people who come.
