Pullman Regional Hospital lays out expansion to emergency, surgical and primary care services

Matt Forge, superintendent and CEO of Pullman Regional Hospital, told the Pullman City Council on June 17 that the hospital will expand its emergency department, add surgical capacity and continue efforts to recruit primary-care and specialty clinicians.

"Less wait, less travel, more access to exceptional health care," Forge said in his presentation, summarizing the goals driving the multi‑year project.

The expansion plan Forge described would enlarge the hospital's emergency department, add one operating room, remodel outpatient and lab space, and create three mental‑health holding rooms. Forge said the hospital has nine board‑certified emergency physicians and that annual emergency‑department visits have held "steady" at more than 14,000. He told the council the hospital will submit its final proposal to the Washington State Department of Health on July 14, 2025, with contractor mobilization expected in September and construction completing in late 2027 or early 2028.

Why this matters: hospital leaders said the changes are aimed at reducing transfers and travel for care, easing overcrowding during…