St. Francis Medical Center held a ribbon cutting and blessing ceremony Aug. 6, completing one more step toward Aug. 16 – when the center will open its doors for patient care.Phil Shaw, Penrose-St. Francis Health Services’ interim president, was first to speak, followed by Rev. Richard Hanifen, who performed the blessing. Other speakers included Nate Olson, chief executive officer of the St. Francis Medical Center, and Nancy Lewis, chairwoman of the Penrose-St. Francis Health Foundation.Gary Campbell, chief executive officer of Centura Health, described the hospital’s namesake, Francis of Assisi, as someone “we would call a spoiled rich dude” today.Francis was mocked by his friends and scolded by his father for giving a beggar every cent he had, Campbell said. “But it didn’t matter. From that time on, Francis devoted his life to caring for others in need.”As I look on this building today, I take great comfort in knowing that in their times of need; the residents of this community are going to have this beautiful facility to seek respite in. The new St. Francis Medical Center is a full-service hospital with all of the services needed to care for everybody in this community, whether it is for traumatic accidents, cardiac care or for young families welcoming a little one into their home,” Campbell said.Cathy Robbins, chairwoman of the Penrose-St. Francis Board of Trustees, said the board’s fiduciary responsibility is to “hold in trust for you as a community quality, safety and patient care. As you interact with this hospital, be aware that there is a group of wonderful dedicated people who are holding in trust the mission of this organization, and you are in good hands.”Dave Csintyan, CEO of the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, announced the launch of a new health insurance plan the chamber is supporting for its business members.Csintyan noted that more than 1,000 regional subcontractors worked on the state-of-the-art $207 million medical campus.Bob Fling, vice president of construction for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, credited teamwork for saving time and money: “On this project, there were never individual problems, only challenges that the team sat down around the table and worked out together.”
