Hundreds attend ribbon-cutting for new hospital

More than 350 crowded inside a tent at Memorial Hospital East on Sunday afternoon to watch the official ribbon-cutting of the venture.

Steve Lipstein, preseident and CEO of BJC Healthcare said he’s been to “a lot” of ribbon cuttings for new hospitals, but “I have never witnessed a standing room only turnout.” His comments at the ceremony went on to mimic those of others, that the community makes the hospital thrive.

“It isn’t buildings who take care of people. It isn’t instrumentation that takes care of people. It is people who take care of people,” Lipstein said.

Both he and Mark Turner, the president of Memorial Regional Health Services, heaped praise on those who work at Memorial Hospital Belleville and who will work at Memorial Hospital East. They each asked those in the crowd who work at either of the hospitals to stand up, with Lipstein saying it is they who make the hospital special.

“It takes a community to make a hospital,” Turner said in his remarks. He specified several members of the community that had extra involvement, from Fran Heien, who gave $1 million toward the building and will have the lobby named after her and her late husband, to the construction crews who worked for local Holland Construction.

The community vibe was enhanced by those chosen to take part in the opening ceremonies. Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturing Crew from Shiloh School District 85 were on hand to lead the pledge of allegiance, and flags were presented by the U.S. Transportation Command Joint Service Color Guard.

Ruth Holmes called out several of those directly responsible for parts of the hospital’s rising, and “I’ve got to tell you, it’s a lot of ‘shes’,” Holmes said, referring to the number of women in the hospital and architects management teams.

The hour-long dedication wrapped up with a small group tours of a patient’s room and a fireworks show.

The hospital officially opens at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.

This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Hundreds attend ribbon-cutting for new hospital."