West Valley Begins $3 million Expansion to Improve Heart Care

Caldwell, ID — With Wednesday’s groundbreaking, West Valley Medical Center took the next step in bringing advanced electrophysiology treatments to Canyon County.

About 40 people, including members of the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce, gathered at noon at the hospital’s Caldwell campus to watch West Valley CEO Betsy Hunsicker climb aboard a tractor and scoop the project’s first shovel of dirt.

“Cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 leading cause of death in Idaho,” Hunsicker told the crowd. “Our ability to quickly diagnosis and treat patients experiencing coronary events has never been more critical.”

The $3 million heart catheterization suite is the first of its kind in the region outside Boise. It will offer residents in southwest Idaho and eastern Oregon more options when making important health care decisions.

The existing suite will expand from 1,400- to 6,000-square-feet and contain upgraded X-ray and 3-D mapping equipment to provide highly accurate imaging of the heart and major vessels.

The expansion, designed by Lombard-Conrad Architects and constructed by Contractors Northwest Inc., is scheduled for completion in April 2015.