Bonner General celebrates 60th anniversary
This past Monday marked Bonner General Hospital’s 60th anniversary. The hospital was incorporated in 1949 and has a colorful, if not watery, beginning. The original hospital was an old infirmary building used at the once active Farragut Naval Training Station, located on the southern tip of Lake Pend Oreille. In 1949, this single-story wooden structure was barged 25 miles up Lake Pend Oreille to its current location.
A lot has changed since Bonner General made the trip up Lake Pend Oreille in 1949. Back then, who would have imagined that our not-for-profit community hospital would offer:
• Digital mammography, MRI and CT scanning
• State-of-the-art surgical services with four operating rooms
• A network of rehabilitation centers
• In-room birthing in our family-centered maternity unit
• On-site, comprehensive laboratory services.
Medical technology has unquestionably changed at the speed of light in the past 60 years, but the dedication and compassion of the hospital staff has remained constant. The number of physicians and employees who work at the hospital has increased over time to meet the growing healthcare needs of our community, but a compassionate healing environment remains the hallmark of BGH. Here are just a few of the things our healthcare staff did last year alone:
• Maternity Unit delivered 424 babies
• Emergency Department had 8,444 patient visits
• Surgery Department performed 5,786 surgical procedures
• Home Health & Hospice made 9,576 visits to patients in their homes
• Cancer Center had 6,534 patient visits
Because so much has changed over the past few years, the hospital will publish a Guide to Hospital Services in August that outlines the many services that are offered here at BGH.
We are proud to be our community’s local, not-for-profit hospital, and we look forward to serving your healthcare needs for the next 60 years!
• Lynda Metz is director of community development at Bonner General Hospital. For information, please visit www.BonnerGeneral.org.