LIBBY — Lincoln County residents have seen the new face of medical technology in the Cabinet Peaks Medical Center.

For four hours Jan. 18, the curious — 660 in all — took 25-minute tours of the new, state-of-the-art medical facility that turns the page on St. John’s Lutheran Hospital.

From all accounts, it is impressive.

“I’ve seen Kalispell and Whitefish hospitals and they are old,” said James England, a Libby resident who toured the new facility. “Certainly, this is better-looking than any of those.”

Dave Stephenson, who took the tour with England, summed it up succinctly: “This is just fabulous. This is a state-of-the-art facility.”

That was the general consensus.

For good measure Cabinet Peaks Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Bruce Whitfield was at the tour’s finish line to field questions.

“We’re very excited to showcase the hospital’s services,” Whitfield said. “We’ve finished this three to four months early and under budget, too.”

To date, the total from Jan. 18 and “sneak peeks” bring the total to 1,170 visitors, according to Kate Stephens, St. John’s Hospital Foundation director.

The tour of the 77,000-square-foot, $35 million facility began at the front desk and included first-floor stops at the walk-in clinic, laboratory and nutritional services, Cardiopulmonary and dietary, the emergency department and the wide-bore MRI.

A ride up the spacious imaging staff elevator let visitors out at the patient rooms, each with their own bathroom and shower, which still number 25 to secure the medical center’s critical-care status. Then the tour guides showed the spacious rehabilitation area. Rehab is a great room with a high ceiling and wide, 10-foot-high windows.

The labor and delivery area has three specialized delivery rooms. There also is a special lactation room to help new mothers with the initial trials of breastfeeding.

Next on the tour was the massive surgical area, which is 50 percent larger than before with double the number of recovery rooms.

After a trip to the chemotherapy clinic and past the chapel, a trip back down the public elevator brought visitors to the River Rock Cafe, a spacious dining area for medical center workers and visitors.

Throughout the new medical center, beige-painted walls are adorned with the works of local photographers including Bob Hosea, Yvonne Resch, Kathy Nielson, Ruth Fenn and Sveltana Harper.

Each department features richly stained wooden doors and signs just outside that clearly represent the office, complete with accompanying Braille.

The new hospital opens on Thursday.

The current St. John’s patients will be moved to the new building starting at 6 a.m. that day.

Gerstenecker is the editor of the Western News in Libby.