Park City resident Dave Staley is intimately familiar with the drive through Parley’s Canyon.

For seven weeks, Staley drove 45 minutes to Salt Lake City and back every day to seek treatment for his recently diagnosed throat cancer. It was difficult for his family, but Staley quickly realized his commute from Park City wasn’t as bad as it could have been when he befriended another cancer patient whose husband drove her four hours from Duchesne County on a daily basis to receive the same treatment.

But with the opening of the Park City Hospital Cancer Center last week, Parkites and other Utahns on the east side of the state no longer need to travel quite as far for lifesaving healthcare.

“We watch what the community is needing, and as people came into the hospital and we had to transfer them out for care, we saw a larger number of cancer patients as the years went on, especially as our population increased after COVID,” said Park City Hospital President Lori Weston. “As we watch that, we determine if there’s enough volume to bring a service like this here to our community.”

The cancer center provides traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, but it also supports Intermountain Health’s philosophy of supporting a patient in all aspects of life.

“Within our lifestyle medicine center, we’re helping people recover from cancer and deal with some of the side effects or lifelong impacts that cancer has left them,” Weston said. “We’ve got a cancer survivorship program where patients who have neuropathy or pain have massage therapists there who do lymphatic massage, or cancer massage. We also have dietitians who are trained for cancer patients.”

Weston said Park City Hospital previously offered some care for cancer patients, such as infusions and chemotherapy, but the hospital was unable to provide radiation treatments. Those treatments are required daily, and they’re why Wasatch Back residents like Staley had to drive 45 minutes each way.

“We’re also increasing the cancer surgeries that we do at the hospital,” Weston said. “We currently do breast reconstruction and breast surgeries. We do throat cancers, (gastrointestinal), general surgery and prostate cancer as well. We’ve done Mohs surgery for skin for many years, so we’re putting into place the surgeries that are most prevalent on the Wasatch Back.”

The cancer center took three years to build, and Intermountain Health invested $50 million into the facility. Weston estimated the center will see 1,500 patients each year.

“We have world-class care locally, and there’s no need to travel when you’re going to get that care or more coordinated and personalized care right here,” Weston said.

Clarke Low, a medical oncologist for Park City Hospital, said he’s grateful for the chance to treat patients holistically and called the cancer center a “game changer” for the facility.

“Getting cancer is never convenient, but having to drive 30 minutes or more, especially in the middle of a snowstorm, makes it even more inconvenient,” Low said. “Intermountain has always been very dedicated to offering care to patients close to home. … I’m so excited that patients don’t have to drive down to the valley five days a week to receive their radiation.”

Low said the cancer center also gives hospital employees opportunities to collaborate on complicated cases and explore medical advancements, which is especially important because cancer research moves at a rapid pace.

“I might have an idea of what was the best thing to do six months ago, but before I decided on a treatment for a patient, I can collaborate and work with colleagues throughout the Intermountain system to make sure that what we’re offering is, in fact, the very best world-class cancer care that patients deserve,” Low said.

He added that Park City Hospital staff are a cohesive team, which is necessary when treating cancer because it can affect each individual differently and spread to other areas of the body.

“All of my colleagues in Salt Lake City are very jealous of all the care that patients here have access to, and that is due to the generosity of donors and also the leadership of the hospital administration in making sure that patients have that,” Low said. “Providing exceptional cancer care requires more than physicians and technology. It takes the entire team working together to support patients through every stage of the journey.”

Information on the Park City Hospital Cancer Center, including types of care and how to schedule an appointment, is available by visiting intermountainhealthcare.org/locations/park-city-hospital/cancer-center.

The post Park City Hospital opens new cancer center to provide comprehensive care to Wasatch Back patients appeared first on Park Record.

It was a silent, slow Friday afternoon in the lobby at Intermountain Health’s Heber Valley Hospital, aside from the occasional cooing from patients and employees alike as they came in contact with Pippi, a 6-year-old, gingerbread-colored goldendoodle hired as the hospital’s first therapy dog. 

Her handler, Kirsten Nilsson, usually breaks the ice with patients by asking them if they have any dogs. 

“I’m very careful not to ever be like, ‘So, what’s wrong?’ I just sort of ignore that they’re in the hospital. We talk about the weather, and whatever they want to do,” she said. “I’ll bring Pippi, and she’ll sit on the bed, and I’ll just stay as long as it feels like they need someone to talk to. Sometimes they’re lonely.”

As volunteers, Nilsson and Pippi have visited Intermountain Health’s Park City Hospital every Wednesday for the past four years. The pair started visiting the Heber Valley Hospital earlier this month and plans to continue doing so on the first Tuesday of each month.

Usually, the pair wanders in the lobby and visits the medical-surgical wing and emergency clinic to see if any patients might be interested in a visit from Pippi, usually by checking with the receptionist.

“Sometimes, Pippi will identify someone and start walking towards them, which I’ve learned to not ever ignore, because a lot of times, dogs can sense there’s something wrong or that they need somebody,” Nilsson said. “If Pippi picks someone out, then they’re always like, ‘This is just what I needed.’ It’s really rewarding.”

Nilsson often gives patients a card with Pippi’s “stats,” like her birthday and favorite sport: swimming with the ducks in the lake near Nilsson’s house.

Pippi learned everything she knows through the Salt Lake City organization, Intermountain Therapy Animals. Her certification test involved placing Pippi in a fake hospital environment, complete with crutches, a gurney and pills scattered on the floor that could potentially distract her. The goal was for her to jump onto a hospital bed and let a patient pet her. 

“She wanted to spend most of her time with the people who were just pretending to hang out at the hospital and didn’t really want to hang out with me,” Nilsson said. “She was overly friendly with everybody else, which is great.”

Nilsson, the children’s librarian for the Summit County Library, first adopted Pippi to certify her as a Reading Education Assistance Dog through Intermountain Therapy Animals. Those dogs attentively listen to kids read aloud to help them develop their fluency. 

Pippi was born just five months before the COVID-19 lockdown, so she wasn’t a fan of kids when she first met them in the wild. But now, she’s perfectly attentive as they read to her. If she ever gets overwhelmed, she’ll go to her “safe space,” the top of Nilsson’s storytime book cart, where the children’s little hands are mercifully out of reach. 

Pippi also visits the Salt Lake City International Airport about once a month to meet anxious flyers or people with delayed flights. That’s the most stimulating environment Pippi has been in. 

The pup is much more at home at the Heber Valley Hospital, which is generally even quieter than the Park City Hospital.

Pippi can handle visits of about an hour. When she’s feeling done, she lies on the floor, four legs splayed out like a taxidermy rug. Sometimes, though, that just means she’s enjoying the cool feeling of the tile floor against her fur.

Nilsson said three teams of Intermountain Therapy Animals handlers and therapy dogs visit the Park City Hospital. She hopes to convince some of them to volunteer at the Heber Valley Hospital, too, especially since a few live in Heber City.

She also encouraged anyone who may be interested to train a therapy dog. She said her experience with Pippi has made her more considerate of other people, more comfortable starting up conversations and a more inclusive individual.

“(Pippi) doesn’t care what you look like or how you’re dressed or what kind of piercings you have or tattoos,” Nilsson said. “The fun thing is everyone reacts to her the same way.”

Pippi clearly has a positive effect on the patients, too, as evidenced by a time someone spotted Pippi in the Park City Hospital cafeteria and asked Nilsson to visit his mom in the intensive care unit.

“His mom was in pretty bad shape and not really responsive, and looked uncomfortable. And we walked in, and she saw the dog, and everything changed. She just became much more relaxed,” Nilsson said. “Pippi put her head on top of the woman’s hand, and then, with her other hand, she could pet her on the head. It was amazing. Everyone in the room started crying. And she stayed there for minutes, like she knew, ‘This is something that I’m here for.’”

The post Meet Pippi, Heber Valley Hospital’s first goldendoodle therapist appeared first on Park Record.

Intermountain Park City Hospital‘s LiVe Well Center hosted a 5K-9 fun run for locals and their pets in Round Valley Saturday morning, September 9, 2017. More than 100 people participated with their furry friends. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

Link to full gallery here: https://parkrecordphoto.smugmug.com/PHOTOS-Intermountain-Healthcares-5K-9/

The post PHOTOS: 5K-9 Fun Run appeared first on Park Record.

The Park City Hospital hosted a Pea Party for women and their children to attend Monday afternoon, June 19, 2017. Kids painted rocks, planted vegetables and enjoyed a healthy snack. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

Link to full gallery here: https://parkrecordphoto.smugmug.com/PHOTOS-Pea-Party/

The post PHOTOS: Pea Party appeared first on Park Record.

Park City Hospital had no available office space for physicians before the building’s new wing was completed in December. The doctors who did have a place to accomplish administrative duties were scattered throughout the building, sometimes far from where they consulted patients.

The second floor of the hospital’s new $40 million wing now has office space close to where patients are seen.

Amy Roberts, the hospital’s public relations manager, said the add-on has other perks as well: The wellness center on the hospital’s first floor was expanded. There also is a new education center, which has several conference rooms and can seat up to 500 people.

“It was necessary to build the addition to accommodate existing physicians and expand services to the community,” Roberts said. “We wanted to bring Intermountain physician specialists together, connected to the hospital, for a better patient experience.”

To introduce Park City residents to the new wing, hospital staff planned an open house for Thursday, Feb. 9, from 4-6 p.m. The hospital is located at 900 Round Valley Drive, past the People’s Health Clinic and the Summit County Health Department building.

Roberts said the open house will include yoga classes every 15 minutes, a photo booth, cooking demos and samples from the new juice bar. Attendees will also be able to tour the new sleep lab, run on the wellness center’s high-speed treadmill and meet health-care providers.

There is even an opportunity for that day’s hospital visitors to win tickets to see TV personality and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, who will speak at the new education center on March 3. The first 250 people to visit the “Dr. Oz Booth” at the open house will get tickets to the event.

The process of adding more space to the hospital, now able to welcome famous surgeons for mass lectures, began in June 2014 when construction for the new wing started.

The addition, which cost $40 million to build, has a modern look but also a rustic feel, as Roberts put it. Paintings by local artists are on display, natural-colored carpeting lines its hallways, and slate stones protrude from some of its walls.

“Things like natural light, views of nature, exposure to art and even the paint colors on the walls all contribute to healing and wellness,” Roberts said. “That’s why we chose warm, soothing colors throughout the building.”

The wing — built with several recycled materials and solar panels — is also LEED certified, meaning it meets the standards of the popular green-building certification program.

Roberts said she’s pleased with the wing’s design, but more importantly, she is excited about the new technology and instruments inside it.

“We have a new state-of-the-art endoscopy unit, which is a dedicated area where medical procedures are performed with endoscopes (cameras) used to visualize structures within the body, such as the digestive tract and genitourinary system,” she said.

Specialists in general surgery, urology, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, pain management, dermatology and allergies are now on the second floor in offices adjacent to each specialty’s consulting rooms.

“The Rosenberg, Cooley and Metcalf Orthopedic Clinic was also expanded, and there is a clinic for independent physicians who work in the community part time,” Roberts said.

The open house set for Feb. 9 has a Valentine’s theme (the photo booth will be called Sweetheart Smiles and the juice will be advertised as love potion). Roberts said the “love” theme also applies to the idea that everyone should love their body, which is why she believes the LiVe Well Center’s new digs, equipped with a massage room and a cozy waiting area, will be an important asset to the community.

Dr. Kelly Woodward, the center’s medical director, agrees. He said preventative care is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. He hopes Parkites will take advantage of the upgraded center, which has a staff that includes a sports medicine specialist, dietitians, exercise physiologists, wellness coaches and instructors, massage therapists and more.

“People need to have a place where they can get the advice, testing, guidance and help to do things in the areas of exercise, nutrition, stress management, better sleep — all the things that help people be healthy, rather than sick or injured.”

The Park City Hospital was completed in 2009, making it the first hospital in Park City since the Miners Hospital closed in the 1950s. The hospital provides orthopedic care, plastic surgery options, emergency care and many other services.

It’s new wing includes the LiVe Well Center, conference rooms, and offices and consulting areas for several specialists. There will be an open house for the new wing from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9. Visit http://www.parkcityhospital.org for information on the hospital and its new wing.

The post Open house planned for hospital’s new wing appeared first on Park Record.