The Riverton Medical District hosted a construction celebration on Wednesday morning near the rapidly rising superstructure of the new hospital. A crowd estimated at 400 listened as Corte McGuffey, RMD Chairman, served as master of ceremonies addressing the crowd and introducing other key figures in the implementation of this new community-centered medical facility.
Vivian Watkins, a member of the board since the concept of reviving quality medical care in Riverton was organized seven years ago, delivered a brief keynote address.
Watkins quoted Matthew 7:24 to 27, a passage using the parable of the wise man who built on solid rock, rather than the foolish man who built upon the sand.
As she pointed to the rising new hospital she said, “Not only is that built on rock, you are the rock for that hospital.”
McGuffey then took to the podium. “Never a doubt. It was a marathon to the end,” he said. “My son Dalton said, ‘Dad, you’ve been working on this for a long time.’ I talked about perseverance and goals, all the fatherly stuff, and he said, ‘Geez, Dad, I’m glad you didn’t build our house.’”
The project is funded by various revenue streams, but the largest is a $37 million loan from the US Department of Agriculture. It is the biggest loan in USDA history in Wyoming.
In introducing Eastern Shoshone Business Council chairman Wayland Large, McGuffey said. “I give the tribes a lot of credit that their business district would create such a tidal wave.”
With that, Large took the microphone.
“This is a good morning,” Large said after speaking the phrase in Shoshone. “We appreciate your work in enhancing medical care in Fremont County and on the Wind River Indian Reservation. We look forward to eliminating the need for out-of-state travel. This location offers a new opportunity for development in Riverton.”
It took a lot of cooperation between the reservation, the city, county, state, and the federal government to get the new hospital.
“The public part of this private project was immense,” McGuffey added.
Governor Mark Gordon was unable to attend the ceremony, but his Chief of Staff, Drew Perkins, spoke in his place.
“Governor Gordon is a big supporter of this facility,” Perkins said. “We had great cooperation between federal, state, and local officials. Eli (Bebout) called me often to ask how it was progressing. In Wyoming, it’s like frontier healthcare, not even rural healthcare.”
One of the many driving concerns for a new hospital was being able to deliver babies in Riverton again.
“For nine years, you haven’t been able to have a baby in Riverton,” Perkins said. “That’s going to change. This is just the beginning. You used to have a hospital, but it went away. You must be on guard. Only five hospitals in Wyoming operate in the black. That’s a challenge.”
A sizeable donation of $4,000,000 for medical equipment came from the Helmsley Charitable Trust. Wayne Booze, the Director of Rural Health Care for the trust, then addressed the crowd.
“From the beginning, this project has been under local control,” Booze said. “We believe your zip code should not determine your health care.”
The Riverton Medical District has worked closely with the Billings Clinic since the project began.
“It’s hard to put into words what the Billings Clinic has done for us,” McGuffey said. “They’ve been unbelievable, first class all the way.”
Dr. Clinton Seger, a Buffalo High School graduate, now serving as CEO of the Billings Clinic, was next to take the stage.
“We’re doing this because this is the right thing to do,” Dr. Seger said. “This is a testament to the state of Wyoming. When failure is out of the question, failure will not happen.”
McGuffey took a moment to identify and praise the other members of the Riverton Hospital District Board: Susan Goetzinger, Travis Koehn, Cindy McDonald, Vivian Watkins, Dr. Eric Ridgway, Dr. Roger Gose, Donna Black, Abby Lotz, Vanessa Sorrels, and Mick Pryor.
McGuffey also thanked First Interstate Bank, which works with the USDA as an interim financial agent; Erdman Architecture, which designed the building; BHI, the general contractor; and the dozen Wyoming-based subcontractors working on the project.
“It’s about creating a place where our retirees can stay around and enjoy their golden years,” McGuffey said. “Where our children can grow up.”
The ceremony concluded with the signing of a ceremonial I-beam, painted white, that will be added to the structure by the Riverton Medical District Board, the members of the Eastern Shoshone Business Council, and the people who attended the ceremony.
Click here to learn more about the Riverton Medical District.