St. Luke’s Elmore is making sure great care keeps up with the times by embarking on several projects to meet the community’s needs.

Work to install a new CT scanner recently wrapped up, the addition of new MRI equipment is in the works and Cody Mangum, director of operations for St. Luke’s Elmore, says that’s only the beginning. Once the MRI project is complete, work will begin on the construction of a new emergency department.

The MRI project is expected to wrap up in mid-April, and Mangum and the team are likely to break ground on the new ED in early summer. 

Upgrades to the emergency department, which are expected to cost about $5 million, anticipate not only the current need but demographic projections for the future. The current emergency department, which has four rooms, sees traffic that would merit eight rooms, and the plan calls for the construction of 10.

Work in the new ED will include design for improved ambulance access, full accommodation for St. Luke’s electronic health records system use, new patient lift equipment and a dedicated waiting area.

These updates, along with new space for St. Luke’s Elmore’s business and Foundation functions and clinic activities, are giving shape to a more cohesive campus for the Mountain Home hospital. Curbing, new paving and landscaping will provide further definition and refinement.

The improvements are part of St. Luke’s commitment to the community, and wouldn’t be possible without St. Luke’s Health System involvement, Mangum said.

“St. Luke’s is investing in the community,” Mangum said. “St. Luke’s has high standards, and we’re just as committed as any location to being as good as we can at what we do.”

It’s not just emergency room visitors and those in need of MRI tests that stand to benefit from the work. Specialty providers, who have been occupying space in a small house across the street from the hospital for their appointments, will be able to take advantage of the new clinic space and St. Luke’s Elmore will be able to host additional specialists, expanding the range of services and care in Mountain Home. That means fewer trips to Boise and elsewhere for those needing specialized treatment.

Improvements for the emergency department will displace business offices, so the St. Luke’s Elmore office staff also wins, with new space in business offices across the hospital’s parking lot. That building, too, will be included in the landscaping and beautification work.

Mangum and the team know St. Luke’s Elmore provides great care, and they’re confident the renovations will signal to community members just how attentive the staff and St. Luke’s are to calls for reduced wait times in the ED and the desire for community members to be seen near their homes and places of work.

 “You want to be able to stay with your family,” Mangum notes. “We know it will have a positive impact overall.

“All of these projects are directly related to being affiliated with St. Luke’s,” he observed. “I’m really excited about the potential for the community.

“Big picture? We’ve got a busy next few years. And people are excited about the changes.”

Clinic Open House

St. Luke’s Elmore is inviting the public to an open house Wednesday, March 9, to check out the changes.

The event will be from 4 to 6 p.m. at the clinic, located at 840 N. 4^th East in Mountain Home. There will be refreshments, tours of the building and a ribbon-cutting event at 4:30 p.m.