Gritman Medical Center

On December 21, 1940, Gritman Memorial Hospital opened its doors for operation. The four-story south wing housed 25 patient beds. A second-floor ramp connected the new building to the old hospital structure (former McGregor Hotel), which was being used as storage and emergency overflow.

The original building was cleared in 1942 to allow for the building of the north wing to be connected to the previously constructed south wing. The corner-stone entrance connecting the two wings serves as a historic landmark in the Moscow community.[6]

The hospital, free from debt by 1957, once again sought expansion to provide a growing community with more advanced health care.

The center wing of the hospital was dedicated in May 1962, allowing the hospital more space to better serve the Palouse. The east wing of the hospital, opened in 1974, included more beds, laboratories, a radiology department, and a new lobby and gift shop.

The hospital began to seek management groups in 1982, creating a partnership with Hospital Cooperation of American. The group later became Quorum, with whom the hospital is still a partner. In 1987, a new diagnostic imaging wing opened, creating the space for the hospital to add new medical technology and provide more services to the Moscow community.

In 1991, the official name of the hospital was changed from Gritman Memorial Hospital to Gritman Medical Center to reflect the addition of wellness services and clinics. The hospital still bears the name Gritman Medical Center today.

Continuing to seek to deliver the best in health care to the Moscow community, Gritman announced a $4.6 million renovation in 1994.[7][8][9][10] The project added 50,000 square feet (4,650 m²) of space to the hospital in 1994, giving room for more clinical, surgical, and administrative services.

On July 1, 2004, the hospital completed a 52,000-square-foot (4,830 m²) renovation, built over Eighth Street between Main and Washington. The update included a winterized and heated rooftop helipad, the Patricia J. Kempthorne Women's Imaging Center, and the Family Birth Center and Women's Health Services.[11][12][13] The update also added more outpatient and inpatient care and a new critical care unit. The hospital's gift shop became Bertie's Gift Shoppe, named for the wife of Dr. Gritman.

A fully hospital-funded 56,000-square-foot (5,200 m²) medical office and health service building was constructed adjacent to the main hospital on the west side of Main Street, south of Eighth. The space houses new clinics, clinician health education, and patient services such as oncology. The site was occupied for decades by concrete grain elevators, which were demolished in 2007.[14][15][16][17][18]

The third floor of the space houses the WWAMI Medical Exchange Program, a partnership with the University of Washington School of Medicine and the western states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. Gritman Medical Center partnered with University of Idaho to bring some of the newest anatomy laboratories and learning centers in the country to 80 first- and second-year WWAMI students.[19]

The hospital also acquired the Moscow Family Medicine clinics, whose services included an urgent care clinic, the downtown and Westside family clinics, and the University of Idaho Student Health Clinic. Gritman now operates five regional family medicine clinics including the two Moscow clinics listed above, and clinics in Troy, Kendrick, and Potlatch.

The hospital develops a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years to address the medical and health needs of the community, highlighting the five greatest health care needs of the public. The hospital's 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment indicates mental health and suicide, substance abuse, access to physicians, affordability and accessibility, and obesity and weight issues as the top five health concerns within the community.

The hospital provides certified American Heart Association First Aid/CPR training, childbirth education courses, and health and fitness courses to local individuals.

The hospital supports students and wellness initiatives in the community through The Gritman Foundation. Funds from the foundation funds provide support for local health initiatives, wellness programs and scholarships for students pursuing higher education in the health care field. The Gritman Foundation is supported by individual donations and proceeds from charitable events.[19]