By Julianne Homokay
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
We’ve all heard the adage: “It takes a village.” At Mountains Community Hospital’s Sept. 27 ribbon cutting ceremony for their new front entrance, speaker after speaker demonstrated how this concept became action to get these most-needed improvements accomplished.
Several speakers also emphasized how the new front entrance was not just about making the hospital look nice. The redesign will improve safety and patient privacy, and the improvements to the eligibility area will aid those staff members in continuing to enroll members of the mountain communities in various all-important health insurance plans. All three elements will serve to improve the patient experience.
A plaque in the new waiting area honors the major donors. (Photo by Julianne Homokay)
“Sometimes it felt like this was never going to happen,” said Kim McGuire, the director of Community Development at MCH, as she addressed the crowd. “We had setbacks due to COVID, we had the snowstorms last year, we had delays in approvals from the state.” She also mentioned the unexpected problems that can pop up along the way in any significant construction project.
McGuire, as well as several other speakers, emphasized how important donor support was in overcoming these obstacles. Major donors include Dave and Christine Bloye, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the Bagne Family Foundation, the JE Fehsenfeld Family Foundation and the Ted Roy Charity Foundation and, according McGuire, all of them have ties to the community.
“We’re excited to unveil the new front entrance of Mountains Community Hospital, a project that enhances infection control, patient safety, privacy and comfort,” said CEO Mark Turner. “We extend our deepest thanks to our local representatives, the Lake Arrowhead Chamber of Commerce and, of course, our generous donors, whose support made this all possible.”
In addition to several donors, hospital board members, hospital staff and members of the community, representatives were there to present certificates of recognition from all three of the mountain’s public servants, Congressman Jay Obernolte, State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh and Assemblyman Tom Lackey. Lewis Murray from Supervisor Dawn Rowe’s office was also in attendance. “It’s an honor to be here,” said Murray. “I don’t think we can say enough about the importance of this hospital to the community.”
After Murray finished speaking, McGuire gathered with several other board members, political representatives and donors to cut the ribbon. The crowd was then invited to the rose garden behind the hospital for a reception.
“It’s one thing we know about the mountain community,” said Corrine Mora, Obernolte’s district office manager, “it’s that you’re always drawn to help together.”
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