USDA awards notice to proceed

Construction of the North Platte Valley Medical Center (NVPMC) will start construction earlier than expected. Though there is still snow on the ground, the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) is excited and ready to proceed as soon as weather allows.

On Tuesday morning, PVHP Chairman Will Faust received notification from the United States Department of Agriculture that the loan process to finance the construction of the critical access hospital had been approved.

“Final plans and specifications have been prepared and approved, bids have been taken and (the) Board of Trustees is prepared to award the construction contract to the qualified, low bidder,” wrote Lorraine Werner of the USDA in the letter. “It has been determined by the applicant and Rural Development that the conditions of the loan closings can be met.”

The notice to proceed from the USDA Rural Development office comes after more than two years of public outreach by the PVHP Board of Trustees and Health Management Services President Karl Rude. In October 2020, the PVHP held a ceremonial groundbreaking at the corner of 13th Street and Bridge Avenue, the site of the critical access hospital.