Hospital Staff to Celebrate Community at Drive-By Parade

Planning, designing and constructing a large project – such as the new Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital – usually culminates with a grand opening celebration. Because of the constraints of COVID-19, this key event has pivoted into a physically safe celebration of the Lincoln City community, to honor residents’ support and patience throughout this multi-year project.

The drive-by parade celebration will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Community members are invited to drive by the front entrance of the new hospital where staff members and key stakeholders will wave, cheer and greet passersby. The first 125 participants will receive a small token of appreciation.

“What a fun way to celebrate our friends and neighbors who helped make our new hospital possible,” said hospital CEO Lesley Ogden, MD. “So many people contributed to the success of this project. It would be impossible to express adequate appreciation with mere words, but I want everyone who played any part in this project to know: We are profoundly grateful for you!”

The hospital is located at 3043 NE 28th St. in Lincoln City. To join the parade, enter on the driveway closest to the front of the building.

About the new Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital
The $45-million project was funded entirely by the nonprofit Samaritan Health Services with support from the North Lincoln Health District, the North Lincoln Hospital Foundation and countless generous donors. The result is an efficient, innovative, patient-centered and flexible 16-bed critical access hospital to replace the original and outdated hospital. All inpatient rooms in the new state-of-the art hospital are private and most have forested views of Devils Lake.

Along with building a 52,000-square-foot hospital, the project included the complete interior remodel of a former nursing home building located on the campus. That building has been transformed into administrative and business office space, as well as the new home to Samaritan Physical Rehabilitation – Lincoln City, offering physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. The final phase of the project was completed in mid-June, with demolition of the original hospital building and construction of a centrally located and environmentally friendly main parking lot to serve the hospital and other medical buildings on the 12-acre campus. 

“This has been a crazy year. We opened our incredible new hospital on Feb. 4 with such high hopes. Within weeks, we faced the shutdown of all but emergency procedures because of mandated coronavirus restrictions,” Ogden said. “Fortunately, we have been able to resume all normal medical services, although with visitor restrictions still in place. We don’t want to delay our celebration any longer. So, please join us as we celebrate.”

With celebration plans already in the works, another obstacle presented itself: the nearby wildfires forced the temporary closure of the new hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 9. On Saturday, Sept. 12, the hospital reopened to provide emergency services and limited inpatient services then resumed full services during the week of Sept. 14.

Created by the design-build team of HGA Architects and Skanska USA Building, the hospital design inside and out has a Northwest feel reflecting the coastal forests and Pacific beaches of Lincoln City.

At a formal gala held for donors and other key stakeholders in early January, before the hospital opened its doors to patients, Dr. Ogden stated:

“We now have a facility that reflects the best health care that can be offered – from its beauty, technological advancements, earthquake resiliency and flexibility of use to its focus on the patient, our community and wellness. This hospital will keep our community safe and will be a hub of health care for another 50-plus years.”