North Valley Hospital is part of a contest that points out that hospitals don’t have to be gloomy places and in fact some are beautiful.

NVH is competing in the eighth annual contest that determines the top 20 hospitals worthy of the Most Beautiful Hospitals in the U.S. distinction. As of Friday, North Valley was in the 17th spot based on online voting.  

Katherine Todd, Senior Director of Business Development and Community Relations for NVH, nominated North Valley for the competition.

“It’s not just about the facility,” she said. “It’s also about the people — the culture of the hospital.”

But in her nomination, Todd also points out that NVH is in a beautiful place with a building that is often described as a “spa with warm colors, natural elements and intimate spaces.”

“NVH is a small hospital sitting on 40 verdant acres with views of the ski runs at Whitefish Mountain Resort and the peaks of Glacier National Park,” she wrote. “As a Planetree International member, we focus on healing design as a component of patient-centered care.”

NVH is among 74 nominees from all over the country and the only Montana hospital to make the list. Soliant Health, a specialty healthcare staffing provider, hosts the contest. The winners are determined by online voting, which runs through June 22.

“It’s kind of fun,” Todd said. “We hope it will create excitement for our community.”

The 82,352 square-foot North Valley Hospital opened on March 22, 2007. The building was designed based on the Planetree model of health care that focuses on providing patient-centered care and a healing environment.

The hospital has separate entrances so patients aren’t lumped together in one waiting area. The building’s layout with a main corridor and several entryways to other sections of the hospital allows for maximum privacy.

The building’s natural colors were chosen to create a calm and home-like feeling. Art on the walls is meant to create an atmosphere where beautiful things can be appreciated. There’s never any overhead paging to continue the calming atmosphere. Patient rooms have open floor plans with large windows for natural light.

“It’s about being patient-centered,” Todd said. “It’s about the mind, body and spirit.”

NVH was showcased in the September 2007 issue of Healthcare Design magazine.

“The heart of Soliant’s Most Beautiful Hospitals lies not only in the architecture or the physical attributes of the hospitals we feature, but in the people who take pride in what they believe in,” said David Alexander, president of Soliant Health, in a prepared release.

The 2015 winner was Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia.

Voting continues through June 22. The winner is announced on June 24.

To vote, visit www.soliant.com/hospitals-2016/vote/