• Star Valley Health cuts ribbon for grand opening

Local government officials, medical and hospital staff gathered in Alpine Friday and Saturday to formally open the new, expanded Star Valley Health Alpine Clinic.

Featured in the opening was a new 24/7 emergency room, surgical center and cardiac cath lab.

Opening the multi-million dollar facility in Alpine was a response to the community, according Dan Ordyna, Star Valley Health CEO.

“For decades, residents in the lower valley had to travel sizable distances to either Afton, Jackson, or Idaho Falls to have access to emergency and surgical services.  These high-end healthcare services are now conveniently located directly in Alpine in a beautiful, state of the art facility.  It’s a game changer for … Star Valley,” Ordyna said.

The official opening was held in two phases with hospital staff and government officials Friday, Jan. 10 and a general public tour on Saturday, Jan. 11.

Friday,’s program focused on recognizing many who had made the new Alpine facility possible.

“The ribbon cutting ceremony Friday evening reinforced once again the sacrifice and dedication of so many people, both past and present, in making these amazing healthcare services and technologies a reality.  The Alpine facility will be a tremendous community asset to Western Wyoming for many years to come,” Ordyna acknowledged.

Saturday was open to the general public for tours and Ordyna said the Star Valley Health staff were impressed with the response.

“For the Saturday morning open house from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, almost 200 community members toured the new facility notwithstanding the snowy weather,” he said. “This is just further evidence of the level of excitement and support that we feel from the Alpine community and Star Valley.”

Why offer these services to Alpine and the region? “Most people don’t realize the that predominant patient population in Star Valley are baby boomers and Medicare recipients,” Ordyna said.  “In the next 10 years, this population is only going to grow. We are not just skating to where the puck is now, but where it is going to be in the next decade. That’s why Star Valley Health is making these multi-million dollar investments in cardiovascular, orthopedic, and primary care services.  It’s all about preparing for the future.”

In a time when many hospitals, especially in rural areas, are struggling, Star Valley Health continues to expand.

Ordyna concluded, “While other rural hospitals are declining and contracting services, we feel fortunate that we are expanding.  It means better access to our patients and their families and many more high-paying jobs in the valley.  There are significant challenges that accompany growth like this, but it’s a good problem to manage.”