QUINCY — As of Tuesday, it’s 78 days until a new hospital opens. 

The brand-new Quincy Valley Medical Center is still in the final stages of construction, with the first day for patients scheduled for May 21.  

Crews were pouring the last sections of sidewalk and doing finish work on counters and doors Monday. There’s still artwork to be installed and doors to finish. Construction is projected to be completed in about 30 days, though. 

“The (construction) fence will come down next week,” Tom Richardson, QVMC director of information systems, said Monday. 

The end of construction will be followed by staff training. Project manager Joe Kunkel said at the QVMC December board meeting that’s to ensure the hospital never closes, even for a few minutes. The training will allow employees to familiarize themselves with the new surroundings.  

Hospital district patrons will have a couple of chances to get a look at the new facility before it opens for patients. The Quincy Valley Hospital Foundation will sponsor a “First Look” fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. April 25. Participants will get a tour of the hospital, along with activities and events like a scavenger hunt, a silent auction, raffles and appetizers.  

Tickets are limited and on sale through the hospital website at quincyhospital.org/first-look.  

All hospital district residents – and everybody who wants to see the new hospital, for that matter – are invited to an open house and ribbon cutting for the new building May 14, with the time to be announced.  

Hospital district voters approved a construction bond for up to $55 million in August 2022; site cleanup and construction began in fall 2023. The new building is directly adjacent to the existing hospital. Once the move is completed, the old hospital will be demolished.  

The new hospital will have expanded space for almost all departments, and some departments will have their own spaces for the first time. Wound therapy is one of them.  

“Keep in mind that, currently, they use any room we can afford to give them for this service,” said QVMC Chief Executive Officer Glenda Bishop. “We added them right before COVID, and we gave them a room down in the ER area. And they have overflowed, time and again. This dedicated space for them is going to be game-changing.” 

The main entrance will be on the Birch Street SW side, with the emergency room entrance on the 10th Street side. Both will have secure entrances.  

A hallway connects the ER with the front lobby, which is designed to help people feel more at ease. 

“This is going to be kind of like a giant living room,” Richardson said, complete with a fireplace. “There are going to be some couches and end tables, chairs and stuff. But the idea is there shouldn’t be anybody sitting here too long because (each department) has its own waiting area.”  

The new hospital will have an expanded emergency room, lab, diagnostic imaging and physical therapy department, as well as eight beds for people who must stay overnight or longer, called acute care.  

A more detailed look at the new hospital will be available in the spring Health and Wellness edition coming March 21.

    Quincy Valley Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Glenda Bishop stands in the front lobby of the new hospital.