Guest Posts on County 10 are provided by contributors and the opinions, thoughts, and comments within are their own and may not necessarily reflect those of County 10.
The committee of Vivian Watkins, Corte McGuffey, Mick Pryor, Janice Bradley, Susan Goetzinger, Dr. Eric Ridgeway, and Dr. Roger Gose and dozens more deserve our never-ending gratitude. A lesser group of people would have folded long ago in a seemingly unending series of hurdles thrown up by the city, the county, the state, and the federal government in bringing a new hospital to Riverton.
The analogy of a track meet is an easy one to make when we face big problems. We’d all like to sprint to the solution, on just a couple of breathes as sprinters do in the 100-meter dash. If there are problems, the rhythm and power of conquering a flight of 110-meter-high hurdles is the next best thing. No one wants to jump unnecessary hurdles, but if they align it’s easier than facing them at random.
Nobody wants a problem that requires a two-mile run to reach a conclusion.
That’s the challenge that initially faced the Riverton Medical Group when they decided to bring back traditional hospital services to Riverton.
In retrospect, a 3200-meter run would have been a much easier challenge than the steeplechase of issues the group faced on their dogged march to creating a viable, community-centered hospital in Fremont County’s largest community.
For those that don’t know what a steeplechase is, it’s a 3,000-meter race with 28 solid 36-inch-high hurdles on the track, and additional seven hurdles set in front of a 12-foot wide, 30-inch-deep pool of water.
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With each of these obstacles, they focused on a solution rather than a confrontation. It took a while, but eventually, the opposition from local to federal government changed into support. Now they’re finally beginning construction on the site near the city limits on the east side of U.S. Highway 789.
The need for a hospital dedicated to serving the people of Fremont County was dire. Rather than elaborating on all the changes in care that changed Riverton’s medical climate from one of the best in Wyoming to a veritable ghetto of care, it is important to note that it is not caused by the people working at SageWest, but rather the corporate climate they’ve been forced to work under.
I proudly list many of the nurses and technicians at SageWest Riverton as friends. Several more are former students, and each one of them is top-notch.
Their dedication in the face of a heartless corporation where the bottom line is the only thing they care about is admirable. It’s not easy to maintain high standards, to put patients first, and to continue individual effort above and beyond what the corporation calls for. Their effort is remarkable.
Thanks to each and everyone of you who have survived these changes and continued to follow your collective hearts. I hope that all of you apply and is hired at the new hospital when it opens in a few years.
We’ve all read a few clueless comments by the resident geniuses of our community who are quick to condemn the project, often laughing when they claim no doctors or staff will ever come to Riverton. If you were truly indicative of the state of mind in the community, you’d be right, no professionals would move to Riverton.
I don’t buy it. The same committee that led to constructing the new hospital are equally active in recruiting doctors, nurses, technicians, IT professionals and all the other positions required for a first-class hospital.
If you haven’t paid attention, and there are always a sizeable minority who never get the memo, health care has changed for the worse step-by-step over the past few decades.
I had my right knee reconstructed at the old Riverton Memorial Hospital on the east side of Riverton back in 1979 by Dr. John Whipp. It held up for over four decades until I stepped onto a rock getting out of a tractor a few years ago and had it replaced, not in Riverton, but in Laramie.
Our children, Brian and Staci, were born at the new Riverton Memorial on West Sunset in 1986 and 1988 under the outstanding care of Dr. Schiller and Dr. Henderson.
A month ago, our grandson Matthew Forrest was born in Thermopolis. You can’t have a baby in Riverton anymore.
Brian and Katelin did pre-natal care in Cody, but Matthew chose to arrive a few days before the originally scheduled delivery in Park County and the kids were able to make it to Hot Springs County for his birth.
We don’t want the moon when it comes to healthcare in Riverton. We’ll never have the facilities they can offer in Casper, but even Natrona County’s level of care has dropped dramatically since The Wyoming Medical Center was recently purchased by a “for profit” medical group.
When it comes to specialized medical care, we’ll all still make the trip to Denver, Salt Lake City or another metropolitan medical center.
We just want what Thermopolis has, what is available in Lovell, Greybull, Pinedale and Douglas, all communities smaller than Riverton.
At present, two of the best hospitals in Wyoming are found in Jackson and Cody, both towns smaller than Riverton.
If you’re into helicopter rides, SageWest will still be around for a few more years.
Maybe they’ll step up to the challenge coming from the new hospital which will bring back pre-natal care and babies being born in Riverton. Maybe they’ll dust off their operating room, hire a surgeon or two and go back to the days when health care in Riverton was, well, it was health care.
One night, really an early morning, we took my father to the emergency room at SageWest. He was experiencing terrible abdominal pain.
After an examination it was determined he had to have surgery. He wasn’t in good enough shape to be airlifted to Casper, but SageWest still had a surgeon on staff in those days. Dr. Deathridge performed the surgery, my dad recovered and lived another 15 years.
That’s what a quality local hospital can provide.
When SageWest opened, they provided that level of care, but the bean counters back east where all the money generated from all those helicopter flights we hear over the city heads, don’t care. They just care about making a profit, and we’re left with minimal, triage level care.
We need a hospital, not a first aid station, and thanks to the efforts of the Riverton Medical Group, we’re about to get one.
Wyoming National Bank recently donated $250,000 toward the effort. Hundreds of other individuals and businesses have donated as well, $14 million in all was generously given to the project.
Thanks for your dedication and hard work.