Intermountain Garfield Memorial Hospital in Utah Starts First Expansion in Decades

Intermountain Garfield Memorial Hospital in Panguitch, Utah is breaking ground to expand a new operating room and pharmacy services. The new operating room center will greatly expand services for the hospital and marks the first major expansion in decades.

This expansion is important as surgeries have not been able to be done as proper ventilation from anesthesia gas could not happen with the older operating room. The expansion includes new ventilation in the operating room.

“We are excited for this new expansion as our community would typically have to travel many miles away to have certain procedures like a tonsillectomy,” said DeAnn Brown, president of Garfield Memorial Hospital. “Now they get to stay close to home, near their families, making their care more convenient and comfortable.”

We anticipate being able to do elective surgical cases such as hernia repair, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and tonsillectomies to name a few. Keeping care close to home is a goal of Intermountain and Garfield.

An additional operating room is being added to serve as both a gastroenterology suite that can continue to provide screening colonoscopies and EGDs as well as regular surgical cases. The expansion will remodel the hospital’s central processing area, the post anesthesia care unit, and the pharmacy.

The new pharmacy, with that new ventilation system, creates the ability to provide for mixing IV medications in a sterile environment. This remodel will provide state-of-the-art facilities to accomplish this in an easier way.

The expansion project will be headed up by VCBO Architecture and Hughes Construction. The project is expected to be completed in early 2026.

“We are thrilled to be part of a new level of care in Garfield County at Garfield Memorial Hospital. Intermountain Health is an incredible partner and an icon in many communities, the state and especially in rural Utah,” said Annie Simkins, director of marketing & business development at Hughes Construction. “It is so important to us to continue to develop and support their efforts in providing much needed healthcare talent, compassion, and elevated medical services. We too honor and believe in the ‘Power Of WE.’”

This project would not have been possible without the dedicated support of Garfield County. A thankful land exchange with the Hatch Ranching Company LTD, which is owned by the James L. Hatch family.

The Garfield Memorial Hospital is co-owned by Garfield County and Intermountain Health handles the operations. The hospital has 20 beds, clinical services, as well as a 24-bed long-term care facility attached.

“This is a blessing to us,” said Garfield County Commission Chair Leland Pollock, as he reflected on Garfield Memorial Hospital. “In a town of 1,900 people, to have a hospital that competes with big city hospitals, and the care we give, it is unheard of in the United States. Our performance ratings, patient scores and quality of care are always near the top.”

Pollock also recognized that the county has seen drastic changes to the economics with mining and drilling jobs that have mainly moved away over time. Garfield Memorial Hospital has been one of the larger employers for the rural area.

“That is a huge economic driver for, especially for this community, but also for this rural area. We have people commute here to work here,” said Pollock.

“We are very grateful for the collaboration and support from our County and our County Commissioners Leland Pollock, Jerry Taylor, David Tebbs,” said Brown. “Their support cannot be understated for us and our community.”

Garfield Memorial Hospital serves as the only hospital in the county for approximately 5,300 residents of the rural, mountainous area that has become an icon for tourists with nearby Bryce Canyon and beautiful landscapes. Bryce Canyon sees over two million visitors each year, and when they need care, they can be seen anywhere between Garfield Memorial, Cedar City Hospital and St. George Hospitals, depending on location and trauma.

For more information about Garfield Memorial Hospital, please visit intermountainhealth.org.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Images and video available upon request.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.