"Fabulous."
"A beautiful space."
"Bigger than it looks from the outside."
"I like the colours."
Those were just a few of the comments made after tours of the new Humboldt District Health Complex (HDHC) last week.
Four groups of dignitaries - many representing organizations, businesses and municipalities that have funded the building of the HDHC - toured the building before the official opening ceremonies on April 1.
Politicians, including past Minister of Health John Nilson, reeves, mayors, businesspeople, SHR employees and even an architect or two got their first look at the completed building that day and seemed to be impressed.
"You can see the correlation between patients and staff, in how (the building) tries to accommodate both," said Delbert Kirsch, MLA for Batoche after his tour of the facility. "Smooth flow is very important. It's impressive. User-friend and patient-friendly."
"It's bright, beautiful, spacious, and just very impressive," said Mayor Malcolm Eaton of Humboldt. "I knew it was going to be awesome, and it's more than awesome," he grinned.
It's really a modern facility, he added - from the technology within it to the way it's organized and the reasons why everything is laid out the way it is.
"I'm pleased to see community services here with acute care," Eaton noted. "It think it provides a closer relationship between the medical staff and services. I think it's awesome."
"I'm really impressed with how much natural light there is," said Lance Unger of Conexus Humboldt. There has clearly been an effort to consider the needs of both patients and staff members, he believes
"I think it's a fabulous addition to the community," he said.
Audrey Ludwig, Mayor of Bruno, echoed those sentiments.
"The way it's laid out and the colours are just great," she said. "Everything is laid out so it's easy to access and the (inpatient) room sizes are much nicer... I think it's just fabulous."
"It's a mind-blower," said Michelle Bankowski, a Humboldt businessperson and the co-chair of last year's Our Legacy, Our Future Hospital Equipment campaign for the HDHF.
"The citizens of Humboldt are going to be blown away. It's like coming out of the dark ages," she smiled. "It's a pretty proud moment for the city. History in the making."
"I think it's a structure that this town deserves," said Brent Fitzpatrick, a member of the HDHF board.
The level of equipment and thought and expertise that went into its design is incredible. It's beautiful," stated Kevin Plemel, president of the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce.
For Dennis Korte, former mayor of Humboldt, looking around at the new building was an emotional experience. Korte was one of many who put many hours in, fighting for this new facility, then helping arrange for extra financing from local municipalities when the price of the new facility went up from an estimated $16 million to $40 million, due to rising construction costs.
On April 1, he saw all that work come to fruition.
"I'm just overwhelmed," he said, with a huge smile on his face. "Boy, it's a beauty. It's worth every tear and every drop of sweat and every dollar. It's just so beautiful, for the community and the district."
Korte refrained from touring the facility until the opening day.
"It's a wow day for me," he said.
He's not disappointed, he indicated, that it took so long to get here.
"If we would have built it 10 years ago, it would be 10 years out of date," he smiled. "There's always a good side. It's a wonderful, wonderful day."
"It's kind of exhilarating and a relief at the same time," said Kelvin Fisher, director of Rural Health Services with the SHR, who has been very involved with the planning for this facility since 1986.
"I've had a smile on my face all day."
Public tours of the facility continued throughout April 1, 2 and 3.
See photo galleries for photos.
