+ QVMC Press Releases (2007)  (Link to current news...)

2007 was truly a fantastic year for QVMC.  Please feel free to review our collection and archival of the 2007 year in the news.

+ QVMC Web Based Press (select links to learn more)

+ 11/23/2007 Quincy hospital offers tours of surgery suites and

    operating room (Columbia Basin Herald)

+ 07/25/2007 QVMC & Fire District agree on new levy

    (Columbia Basin Herald)

+ 06/19/2007 Quincy hospital gets web site redesign

    (Columbia Basin Herald)

+ A statewide collaboration to support excellence in clinical care

+ Increasing Access to Quality Health Care

+ QVMC Newspaper Based Press (select links to learn more)

Surgery is back!  QVMC’s New Surgery Suites & Operating Room Open House.  November 26th, 2007 4:30pm – 7:00pm

QUINCY, WA – The public is invited to see and tour the newly renovated Surgery Center and Operating Room at Quincy Valley Medical Center (QVMC). The open house will begin with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30pm and will run until 7:00 pm on Monday, November 26th.

This one time opportunity is for the community to see the newly renovated center before the formal move in date of equipment, supplies and sterilization is completed.  “We warmly welcome our community members to experience the full detail of this significant project at QVMC. With pictures of the past and conversations with our medical staff, community members will be able to see and feel the full transformation” says Dick Burkenpas, Director of Marketing at Quincy Valley Medical Center.

“This newly renovated surgery center is part of our long-range plan to meet the changing expectations for health care services and our commitment to provide outstanding, compassionate patient-centered medical care to our community. QVMC will begin surgeries’ in December offering patients the comfort they deserve and the 'cutting-edge' technology they expect. The project is a significant investment in the changing health care needs within our ever growing community," says Mehdi Merred, Administrator and CEO of Quincy Valley Medical Center.

Mehdi goes on to say that “The surgery center was originally designed to meet the surgical needs of the community as the hospital understood them over 50 years ago. The newly renovated center is designed to give all patients the ease of access that is enjoyed in outpatient centers and the ability to receive complex, highly specialized procedures once the patient is in the operating room. It is not about volume; it is about the quality of the experience and the availability of specialized skills and equipment.”

Some minor procedures are done in QVMC’s clinic and in the newly renovated endoscopic suites. But, at the other end of the spectrum, new surgical procedures continue to develop improved options to health conditions that are not available in a smaller setting. These complex procedures require ever-increasing technology and specialized skills. Patients and their families of our community want both and so do our local health care providers. The newly renovated center at QVMC provides just that.

The open house will also be an excellent opportunity for students who may be interested in a medical career to learn more about the field. Highly-trained professionals will also offer demonstrations and explanation of medical equipment and instrumentation. At QVMC, there are tremendous career opportunities. Career’s that enable people to truly make a difference every day, one patient at a time.

Tours of the center and refreshments will be served.

For Immediate Release:  Welcome back to QVMC (a time of transition): Nathan “Nick” Mason to help at Quincy Valley Medical Center.

Quincy Valley Medical Center (QVMC) is pleased to announce that, from August 13^th to September 14^th, Nick Mason (RN, MSN, FNP, ARNP) will be re-joining our Clinic while we recruit Dr Wallace Newkirk’s full-time replacement. Nick worked in our Facility from 1992 to 2002. During that period, Nick’s support to the Quincy community and to the QVMC employees had a positive impact. We look forward to having him back as we know his compassionate approach will add high value to our practice.

Nick is an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner with a medical background including pediatrics, family practice and trauma life support. Nick re-joins our Clinic on a temporary basis for a period of 5 weeks after having provided interim services for five years to several local and out of state physicians.

During this time of transition, we, at QVMC, remain focused on our mission to provide high quality health care and make progressive efforts to attend to our patients’ needs. QVMC's Clinic is vital to the success of our Medical Center. Our top priority is to aggressively recruit a full-time Family Practice physician who will embrace QVMC’s vision and actively address the healthcare needs of the Quincy community. Our goal is to hire the best candidate for this position. We have utilized local and national services to assist us in this endeavor. While some people may foresee challenges with our search for a physician, we, at QVMC, prefer to look at this transitional time as an opportunity to recruit an exceptional individual who will fulfill our needs. 

We would like to thank in advance our community for its support and Nick for his assistance during our search. With the development of our surgery practice, the relocation of our physical therapy outpatient practice, and the opportunity to welcome a new member to our community, the future of QVMC is exciting. In conclusion, we would like to congratulate Dr Newkirk for his opportunity to work at the new Wenatchee Veterans’ Clinic.

Quincy Valley Medical Center: “Compassionate, Quality Care”

For Immediate Release:  June 27th, 2007

New QVMC Connection Newsletter release! QVMC's "NEW" quarterly Connection Newsletter was released this week with a huge fan fair!

The newsletter was provided to everyone in our community free of charge in the Quincy / Central Basin Shopper and is also available for download from our web site at http://www.quincyhospital.org/connection.htm

We are very excited to share with our community the cool things that are happening at QVMC along with the growth and services coming to the area.

As a publication designed and developed by our Marketing Department with input from the Staff and Providers of QVMC, we look forward to sharing important information about QVMC each and every quarter.

We hope you enjoy the information about your hospital and would encourage you to share your comments.

We would also like to thank our publication partners at the Post Register. Their help and support in releasing this information to our community is very much appreciated!

Dick Burkenpas

Director of Marketing

Grant County Public Hospital District #2

Quincy Valley Medical Center

Telephone: 590-787-5349

For Immediate Release:  June 4th, 2007

New Physical Therapy Center is NOW OPEN!: QVMC's "NEW" Physical Therapy Center is now open for business at 406 South Central, Quincy WA.

Our new spacious, state-of-the-art facility, which participates with most insurance companies, specializes in therapeutic treatment of all conditions.

Our staff of licensed physical therapists, are committed to providing one-on-one, hands-on care for each and every patient.

"Dedicated to focused healing"

For more information, call QVMC's Physical Therapy Center at 590-787-0569.

For Immediate Release:  May 2nd, 2007

Lumps & Bumps: Gaston Cornu-Labat, MD, available for consultation at Quincy Valley Medical Center

QVMC has recently hired an experienced general surgeon with a significant background in rural health care. Steered towards minimally invasive surgery, Dr Cornu-Labat offers a wide scope of practice to the community that includes diagnostic and therapeutic gastrointestinal endoscopy, laparoscopic surgery and a variety of basic gynecologic and urologic procedures.

Endoscopy is one of the main tools in prevention and early treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, such as in the removal of colonic polyps, an endoscopic procedure that has had a huge impact in the management of colon cancer.

Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive technique that allows surgical procedures to be done through very small incisions, minimizing the insult to the patient and allowing very prompt recoveries. Procedures that use to require several days of hospitalization, such as removal of a gallbladder, today are done through this technique, on an outpatient basis, requiring usually not more than an overnight stay.

Dr Cornu-Labat is gladly available for consultation on any issues related to surgical care and for second opinions. He firmly believes that providing information to empower the patients in their decision making process is a basic pillar of a healthy community, allowing the patients to be the architects of their own health.

Until the construction is completed in the newly renovated surgical suites at QVMC, Dr Cornu-Labat is only available to perform basic surgical procedures such as removal of skin lesions, in the clinic. According to the chronogram laid out, the endoscopy suite will be up and running by the beginning of the month of June, followed by the completion of the new operating room for formal surgery, six to eight weeks thereafter.

At QVMC, it is our understanding that his compassionate, humble and caring approach to the patient, making a genuine effort to attend to their needs is a key factor in addressing a significant portion of the crisis that today plagues the health care system through out the nation. Our institution is a not-for-profit organization that although requiring a healthy financial situation to function, its only purpose is to address the health care needs and well being of the community, irrespective of the ability of the patients to pay for the services provided.

Many different programs are being made available through social services, state and federal programs, and the likes, to ensure the best possible reach to the community while maintaining the financial viability of the hospital. This is a beautiful challenge to the administration of the hospital, providing a model where it is possible to depart from the established ways of business characterized by the drive to profit. It is this departure that will allow this institution to genuinely address health care, finding an equilibrium to remain viable without discrimination based in the ability to pay.

Health care and well being is a basic human right that should be available to everybody and not selectively to those with financial means.

Dick Burkenpas

Director of Marketing

Grant County Public Hospital District #2

Quincy Valley Medical Center

For Immediate Release:  May7th, 2007

EMS Week: QVMC celebrates Emergency Medical Service week (May 20th – 26th) with EMS Day at QVMC

Quincy Valley Medical Center (QVMC) will be celebrating the 34th annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week with a free BBQ on Sunday, May 20th. The free BBQ will begin at 1:00 PM and run through 4:00 PM.

EMS Week provides an opportunity to bring together and honor emergency medical personnel who provide lifesaving services on a daily basis by being in the right place, at the right time; knowing the right thing to do.

National EMS Week's 2007 theme, "Extraordinary People, Extraordinary Service," underscores the critical and lifesaving tasks so many perform when a 911 response occurs.

In an effort to save lives, QVMC also urges all residents to learn or renew their cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification. The effort behind this is to expand the number of people in our community who are trained to provide CPR and for everyone to know that the sooner a cardryiac arrest victim receives CPR and defibrillation, the better their chance of survival is. QVMC’s goal is to raise community awareness about the value of knowing CPR and getting people confident on how to actually administer CPR.

Join us at Quincy Valley Medical Center at 908 10th Avenue Southwest, Quincy WA, Sunday, May 20th, 2007, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, for National EMS Week to honor those who save lives. We'll be offering tours along with an opportunity to meet your QVMC EMT’s and Paramedics during the free BBQ.

Quincy Valley Medical Center:  “Compassionate, Quality Care”

Dick Burkenpas

Director of Marketing

Grant County Public Hospital District #2

Quincy Valley Medical Center

Marketing Team

(Policy Link)
QVMC’s Marketing Team is available four days a week. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. To reach a marketing specialist during office hours, please call 509-787-5349.

Note: If you would like to be added to the list to receive press releases and news, please send your contact information to

marketing@quincyhospital.org