FILLMORE, UTAH, April 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Community leaders joined hospital caregivers and project partners to celebrate a major milestone for local healthcare as Intermountain Health Fillmore Community Hospital officially broke ground on a long‑awaited Emergency Department expansion that will improve access to care for residents.
The ceremony marked the beginning of a project designed to enhance patient care, improve privacy, and better support caregivers who serve residents throughout the area.
The event opened with a welcome from Jacob Robison, chair of the community board of trustees for Intermountain Health Fillmore Community Hospital, followed by remarks from Wayne Brown, MD, medical director of the hospital.
Dr. Brown reflected on the unique role community hospitals play in rural healthcare. He emphasized that community hospitals excel in providing high-quality and personal care for friends, neighbors, and family members throughout the community
“Our patients aren’t strangers,” said Dr. Brown. “They are people we know, people we grew up with, and people we feel personally responsible for.”
He noted that the existing emergency department space, though rich with memories, from mending broken bones to comforting families during life’s hardest moments, needed to be expanded and updated to serve the growing community.
The expansion, he said, represents the hospital’s ongoing commitment to continually do better for its community.
Kurt Forsyth, president of Intermountain Health Fillmore Community Hospital provided an overview of the project and its history.
The last major emergency room renovation occurred in 2009, and planning for the current expansion began in 2021, he said.
“This expansion project addresses long‑standing needs for our caregivers and patients that will enhance patient privacy, comfort, safety, and convenience.”
Once complete, the expansion project will add approximately 710 square feet of new space and renovate 2,400 square feet of existing space to the emergency department, for a total project impact of more than 3,100 square feet.
The updated emergency department will include six treatment rooms, featuring two trauma rooms, a secure behavioral health room accessible from both the emergency and medical‑surgical areas, a private isolation room that may also serve pediatric patients, a quick‑treatment room, and a designated decontamination room.
Dr. Brown and Forsyth both expressed gratitude to Intermountain Health for its commitment to rural healthcare, noting that at a time when many rural hospitals across the country are closing, continued investment ensures services remain local and accessible.
“We’re very grateful for Intermountain Health’s commitment to help us serve our community and residents with the highest-care possible,” said Dr. Brown
The ceremonial groundbreaking was led by Forsyth, along with Dr. Brown, Andrea Wardle, chief nursing officer of the hospital, Fillmore City Mayor Curt Hare, and project partners from Silverleaf, and Incline Architects, who helped bring the project to life.
As construction begins, hospital leaders say the expanded emergency department represents more than added square footage, it is an investment in dignity, safety, and compassion for the community it serves.
When complete, the project will usher in a new chapter for Intermountain Fillmore Community Hospital, strengthening its ability to care for neighbors today and for generations to come.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a nonprofit health plan called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/. For more information, see intermountainhealth.org/ or call 801-442-2000.
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Jess Gomez Intermountain Health 385.275.8245 intermountainnews@imail.org
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