Life and Health

The story of Grande Ronde Hospital began in 1907 with four doctors and a dream. They built a four-story brick hospital at the end of Adams Avenue for $16,000. By the 1960s, that first hospital had fallen into such disrepair that remodeling could not guarantee continued accreditation. Construction of a new hospital was the only thing to do. The entire community came together to support that campaign, including local school children who donated $680 (approximately $6,500 today) in 1964 from a penny drive.

Sixty years later, GRH is still committed to improving health care in Union County. The need to replace current operating rooms constructed in the 1970s and our passion to provide the best patient care experience are at the heart of the current project. As the expansion takes shape, it has been humbling to realize we are the next generation to join the time-honored tradition of making history in health care.

This year, we have witnessed a lot of earth moving, utilities rerouting, rebar tying, concrete pouring and soldier pile drilling. We have also come to know and respect these hardworking tradesmen turning our vision into reality. Working through the cold, dark days of winter, they won our hearts when they lit up a Christmas tree on the top of the tower crane for the whole town to enjoy and later hung our American flag to proudly fly across the sky with the crane's movement.

A centuries-old tradition

This spring, we were able to honor our construction teams and their hard work by marking a special milestone in the project timeline—the Topping Out. While most of us had never heard of the tradition and ceremony, this is something Bouten Construction has done before. Rooted in ancient Scandinavian building rites, Topping Out ceremonies are still observed today—particularly by ironworkers like those who built our steel beam structure.

We embraced the idea to honor these workers and provide a special way for our employees to be part of our history and make their mark to live forever within the structure. After approximately 25 truckloads of steel beams were put into place, one special, 16-foot beam was set aside for our GRH family and construction crews to sign.

Some signatures were funny and some were bittersweet, as loved ones and co-workers were remembered and honored. The beam sat in place for several days, as a steady stream came to leave a mark on history. Future generations may never see those signatures after the internal drywall and painting are complete, but the messages on our beam will remain part of Grande Ronde Hospital long after we are gone.

On April 6, GRH and team Bouten celebrated the final Topping Out beam as it was placed in the structure to mark the milestone. With the traditional evergreen tree—symbolizing everlasting life in this centuries-old Scandinavian tradition—and Old Glory attached, the final beam became part of the steel structure. The new building will house Surgical Services, Central Sterile Services, the Food Services and Dietary Department, the Materials Department, a new loading dock, and more.

Categories: Expansion project