Biz Bits: Growth underway at Gritman Medical Office Building
Expansion of neurology and oncology care are components of a project Gritman Medical Center recently started at its downtown Moscow medical office building.
Updated spaces for Palouse Neurology on the first floor and the hospital’s interventional pain clinic on the third floor are part of the work at the C.L. Gritman Medical Office Building, 803 S. Main St.
It also doubles the space of Palouse Oncology and Gritman Infusion Services with upgrades such as 12 new infusion bays on the second floor.
Office space for clinics of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who will be recruited to the community is being added on the first and third floors.
Having cancer care, pain management and neurology in the same building will make it more convenient for the many patients who use all three services, according to a Gritman news release about the project.
“We are ensuring more of our patients have easier access to specialty services and fewer will need to travel out of the area for their healing and recovery,” said Gritman President and CEO Kara Besst in the news release.
The $11.4 million in upgrades are being paid for with contributions from community members. Among them are a $750,000 gift from Beatriz and Edmund O. Schweitzer III for the construction of the Palouse Neurology Space. He is the founder of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Pullman, the largest private employer in the region.
The improvements are part of the original concept of the 54,000-square-foot C.L. Gritman Medical Office Building. The 15,000 square feet being completed now were purposely left unfinished for future purposes when the building opened in 2017.
Other tenants at the building include CHAS Latah Community Health and the University of Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program.
Sports court, industrial kitchen part of Pullman clinic
Patients are more likely to embrace healthy lifestyles if they experience tangible benefits such as increased energy for hobbies or fewer instances of recurring ailments like migraines.
That’s part of the philosophy of Dr. Robert Spady, a physician at a primary care practice that is reopening its Pullman arm this fall after a hiatus.
An open house is set for Wednesday at 805 SE Clearwater Drive for HealthMotivate. The event starts with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. and concludes with a 2 p.m. dedication. Tours will be offered in between the two ceremonies.
The practice previously went by Total Health Physician Group and operated in a leased location in Pullman.
The new facility features an industrial kitchen, where classes will be held about how to prepare healthy, tasty foods, and a sports court for pickleball and other activities. Pickleball is a form of exercise Spady enjoys.
Massage therapy and nutrition education will be among the clinic’s services. HealthMotivate is also seeking physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to staff it.
HealthMotivates mission is to “promote health through lifestyle interventions that support the physical, spiritual, social and mental health wellness of all individuals,” according to a news release about the event.
A resident of the Moscow-Pullman area since 1988, Spady’s approach is based on his Seventh- day Adventist faith. He’s a graduate of Loma Linda University School of Medicine and is board certified in internal medicine and lifestyle medicine.
HealthMotivate has a second location in Moscow at 619 S. Washington St. Its telephone number is (208) 892-1346.
First Interstate Bank raising its minimum wage to $17 an hour
COLFAX — First Interstate Bank, which has a branch in Colfax, is raising its lowest hourly wage from $15 to $17 on Oct. 1.
“This wage increase represents a pay boost for 64% of the First Interstate workforce and underscores the bank’s ongoing commitment to the financial well being of its employees,” according to a news release from First Interstate.
Earlier this year, First Interstate began offering a monthly fuel stipend of $130 to employees with annual salaries of $65,000 or less.
The money is part of compensation that includes a 6% employer-matched 401(k), child care assistance, exercise reimbursement and a student debt employer repayment program.
The financial institution’s location in Colfax is one of more than 300 in the West and Midwest.
Zions Bank makes donation of time, money to L-C Valley Habitat for Humanity
LEWISTON — A $10,000 donation to L-C Valley Habitat for Humanity from Zions Bank has put the spotlight on Idaho’s housing shortage.
The contribution coincided with the financial institution’s support of the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home on Alder Avenue in Lewiston for Danika Colvin, according to a news release from Zions Bank.
About a dozen women from Zions helped this month with work on the home that eventually will house three generations of women in Colvin’s family.
The entire state of Idaho is facing housing challenges, according to the news release.
“Idaho has a shortage of more than 24,000 affordable homes for low-income renters,” according to the news release that cited statistics from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Clearwater Paper upgrading pulp-making system
LEWISTON — Clearwater Paper in Lewiston is upgrading its pulp-making operations in Lewiston.
The company is installing a new screening system that removes rocks and debris from a wood chip feed conveyor in an automated process, according to an email from company spokesperson Shannon Myers.
Clearwater Paper is one of the biggest employers in Lewiston, where the company has its largest manufacturing site.
It makes tissue for toilet paper, paper napkins, paper towels and facial tissue, as well as paperboard for packaging and paper dishes.
Manufacturing workshop planned next week at casino
LEWISTON — Innovations that help factories be more productive and improve employee retention are the topic of a Thursday event titled “Manufacturing Technology — Work Smarter, Not Harder.”
The four-hour workshop starts at 1 p.m. at the Clearwater River Casino & Lodge on U.S. Highway 12/95 just south of Lewiston.
The cost to attend the event sponsored in part by the Clearwater Economic Development Association is $20 per person. The fee includes a reception with light appetizers. Registration is available at clearwater-eda.org.
Rapid Design Solutions, King Machine and Vectis Automation will make vendor presentations at the event. Experts from the University of Idaho will provide an update on robotics programs. Representatives of area manufacturers will participate in a panel discussion and a regional economic assessment will be presented.
Other sponsors are Northwest Intermountain Manufacturers Association and USDA Rural Development.
Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.
