Katie Flores, RN, will never forget the morning of June 1, 2015. At 6:58 am the crew at Holy Cross Hospital – Mountain Point notified Utah County Dispatch that the hospital was officially open for business. Four minutes later, they received a call from Lehi EMS that an ambulance was enroute with a patient in full cardiac arrest. When the patient arrived, she was stabilized and then taken to the Cath Lab and by 10 a.m. was admitted to the ICU.
Katie, who was the hospital’s chief nursing officer, and finance colleague Derek Lau, remember getting the hospital ready to open from a make-shift office across the freeway in Thanksgiving Point. The hospital didn’t receive its certificate of occupancy until a week before opening day, so Katie and Derek describe a week of all hands on deck scramble to get the facility ready for patients. That included family members who came to help unpack supplies, and stock shelves.
Derek, an American Fork resident, has seen first hand the wisdom in building this hospital in one of the fastest-growing areas of the state. His family has received care at the hospital, including two grandkids born there, and a mother-in-law who traveled from Arizona to have a knee revision because of the outstanding orthopedic physicians at Mountain Point. Derek says the hospital has always had a reputation for great patient experience. As the hospital was nearing completion, he and his colleagues reviewed 4,000 applications for 250 positions. He said they were able to hire the very best employees to open the hospital. That legacy continues today.
“This is an exciting milestone for Mountain Point,” said Chris Stines, president. During the decade that the hospital has been open, the population of Lehi has nearly doubled, not to mention that robust growth in surrounding communities. We are busy, averaging nearly 1,000 births per year and more than 11,000 ER visits. Mountain Point had also earned an “A” designation for patient safety by the national group LeapFrog. We want to thank our outstanding physicians and staff for providing excellent care with a focus on humankindness.”
About CommonSpirit Health
Inspired by faith. Driven by innovation. Powered by humankindness. CommonSpirit Health is building a healthier future for all through its integrated health services. As one of the nation’s largest nonprofit Catholic healthcare organizations, CommonSpirit Health delivers more than 20 million patient encounters annually through more than 2,300 clinics, care sites and 137 hospital-based locations, in addition to its home-based services and virtual care offerings. CommonSpirit has more than 157,000 employees, 45,000 nurses and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice providers across 24 states and contributes more than $4.2 billion annually in charity care, community benefits and unreimbursed government programs. Together with our patients, physicians, partners, and communities, we are creating a more just, equitable, and innovative healthcare delivery system. Learn more at commonspirit.org.
7 of the 22 employees who helped open the hospital, who still work at Holy Cross Hospital — Mountain Point
