SALT LAKE CITY — LDS Hospital celebrated its grand reopening Monday. The hospital didn't close for reconstruction, but this was an opportunity to highlight the recent renovations.

One of highlights at the newly-renovated hospital is the History Wall, where visitors can take a visual trip down memory lane:

• When LDS Hospital opened in 1905, there were 45 members of the medical staff. Those employees completed 708 procedures that first year.
• In 1929 when the Stock Market crashed, many doctors and nurses worked without pay.
• In 1955, the hospital celebrated its 50th anniversary, and
• 1974 brought an early life-saving helicopter.
• By 1990, the number of staff had increased to 3,600, and there were 14,575 surgical procedures completed that year.
• In 2002, the hospital was one of the medical service providers for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games.

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Renovation aids hospital in focus on behavioral health

Recent renovations are giving LDS Hospital an opportunity to focus its efforts as a community hospital that specializes in highly personal care. The facility's new psychiatric unit is the only IHC inpatient facility for behavioral health patients in the Salt Lake Valley.

Now, after $32 million and five years of hard work, the renovations are complete and LDS Hospital is reintroducing itself to the community.

"When the (Intermountain) Medical Center opened, and patients moved from LDS Hospital to the medical center, there was kind of an identity crisis," said Jim Sheets, CEO and administrator of LDS Hospital. "A lot of people thought: what is LDS Hospital? Are you still open? So we decided we really needed to renovate and kind of secure what services we have."

One of those areas is women's care. Two national publications call LDS Hospital the best place in the state, and one of the best in the country, to deliver a baby. New double-wide suites for birthing provide a relaxing atmosphere.

But there's more to the hospital's specialties. The Heart Services Center offers in- and out-patient care, and the Joint Center includes a rehab room for those having hip and knee replacements.

The new lobby features a painting of the original hospital, created by Utah artist Ken Baxter.

"I like painting stuff that is no longer here," Baxter said. "Celebrating the past is important."

Of course, LDS Hospital is also about the people who arrive to receive treatment.

"We take a lot of pride in the services we're able to provide," Sheets said.

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