• Article Photo. The crowd gathered around the front entrance to celebrate the ribbon cutting Thursday evening.
    The crowd gathered around the front entrance to celebrate the ribbon cutting Thursday evening.
  • Article Photo. Chief Operating Officer Tedd Kipper and VGH Foundation Director Mike Timmermans unveil honor board.
    Chief Operating Officer Tedd Kipper and VGH Foundation Director Mike Timmermans unveil honor board.
  • Article Photo. The two honor boards at VGH honor 374 people who made donations of more than $2 million.
    The two honor boards at VGH honor 374 people who made donations of more than $2 million.
  • Article Photo. VGH staff and employees join in the ribbon cutting to celebrate completion of renovation Thursday.
    VGH staff and employees join in the ribbon cutting to celebrate completion of renovation Thursday.

 

Virginia Gay Hospital has been celebrating the completion of its renovation and expansion project throughout this week.

Thursday night’s celebration included a ribbon cutting and a few words from Iowa Hospital Association President Kirk Norris.

“You have a lot of history here,” Norris told the audience of VGH staff and employees.

The hospital, said Norris, has two essential roles in the community. First, he said, is “keeping people well and healthy,” and providing quality primary care and referring patients to specialists when needed.

But the second job of a hospital, said Norris, is to benefit the community economically.

VGH, he said, does that.

“You have a $7 million payroll and an $11 million annual economic impact on this community,” he said. “Keep moving forward, and good luck in the future.”

VGH Board Chairman Mark Mossman told the audience that the project sends the message that Virginia Gay Hospital will not be surpassed by any other medical facility.

VGH Administrator thanked the donors – all 374 of them – and said that without out every one of them, the renovation and addition would have been smaller, or not taken place at all.

Riege thanked Keith Mossman and John Anderson for leading the community capital fund-raising campaign. He also noted that Keith Mossman was active in 1950 fund-raising efforts for the building project then.

The public is invited to an open house at the hospital from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 18), to see the new and newly remodeled areas.