St. Luke's Hospital completes $25M Heart and Vascular center renovation. by D'Andre Lewis Tue, July 7, 2026 at 9:08 PM 00:00 01:44 ST LUKE 1.jpg After three years of construction, St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids has completed a $25 million renovation and expansion of its Heart and Vascular Center, including a new state-of-the-art hybrid operating room that could be available for use as soon as Monday. Hospital staff spent time Tuesday training and preparing the space for its first patient. During the three-year project, the Heart and Vascular Center added electrophysiology labs and made upgrades to its vascular and interventional radiology capabilities. The renovation also included the new hybrid operating room, which is equipped with surgical technology designed to help medical professionals reduce stress and risk during heart procedures. Justin McDonald, St. Luke's director of cardiovascular services, said the hybrid operating room is designed for minimally invasive, catheter-based procedures that rely on imaging systems. "The types of procedures that are done in this type of hybrid operating room are minimally invasive procedures, they are catheter-based procedures. So, they're using imaging systems to help guide those procedures," McDonald said. "So, they require the capabilities of an OR environment. So, like the ventilation for example, but also the space and the technology to have the imaging is how they actually perform those procedures." With the addition of the hybrid operating room, St. Luke's officials said they are confident in their ability to provide exceptional care now and into the future, particularly as the community ages. "I think it really centers around the demand for this growth and services," McDonald said. "So, obviously we have an aging population, certainly once you hit the age of 65 and thereafter the prevalence of Cardiovascular disease increases. So, maybe a patient was medically managed before, they didn't have a s many options available to them; we can provide procedures that are complex, but minimally invasive in nature and get them feeling better." SPONSORED CONTENT MORE TO EXPLORE

Updates regarding St. Luke's OB-GYN, midwifery services in Treasure Valley. St. Luke's team members have recently received questions from patients and community members regarding upcoming changes to some of its OB-GYN and midwifery services in the Treasure Valley. To support its patients and their families with accurate information, St. Luke's is sharing information related to common questions. At St. Luke's, its priority is always to ensure every patient has access to safe, high-quality care. As its communities continue to grow, especially in Meridian and Canyon County, and the demand for OB-GYN services increases, St. Luke is thoughtfully aligning its care teams to meet patients where they need care most, while also supporting the well-being of its physicians. St. Luke has carefully evaluated where its clinics and delivery services are today and how St. Luke can best meet patients where they need care. Expanding services in Meridian and Nampa are part of that effort to ensure patients can continue to access timely, high-quality care close to home. These decisions are guided by patient and care team safety, access to care and long-term provider workforce stability. What's changing? To better support population growth, the St. Luke's Clinic - Obstetrics and Gynecology: Meridian will be adding additional OB-GYN physicians this fall. This will help St. Luke care for more patients while also strengthening and supporting its team. As part of this transition, some physicians are shifting practice locations to better match patient needs in growing areas like Meridian. St. Luke is actively recruiting and adding OB-GYN physicians to support this growth and ensure adequate coverage at each of its sites. Beginning in August of this year, St. Luke will bring its midwifery services together at the St. Luke's Clinic - Obstetrics and Gynecology: Nampa. Midwifery care remains an important part of how St. Luke support its patients and this move will allow St. Luke to build a stronger and more sustainable practice, including increased access to clinical visits and 24/7 coverage for patients in both the clinic and labor and delivery unit. What isn't changing? While some care locations and team structures are shifting, St. Luke's commitment to providing safe, high-quality care remains the same. Patients will continue to have access to OB-GYN physicians in each of its St. Luke's OB-GYN clinics in the Treasure Valley and midwifery services in Nampa. Is Boise losing OB-GYN and maternity care coverage? No. St. Luke's additional, Boise-based OB-GYN clinic, The Woman's Clinic, will continue to see both obstetrical and gynecological patients and is unaffected by any changes. Will there still be access to midwifery care at St. Luke's? Yes. St. Luke's remains deeply committed to the midwifery model of care. By bringing the midwifery team together in Nampa, St. Luke can ensure its patients have access to a full care team at all times with 24/7 coverage for patients in the clinic and labor and delivery settings. Patients who choose midwifery care can establish or continue their care through the Nampa-based midwifery team. Does this mean there are fewer providers? No, St. Luke is not decreasing its services offered; St. Luke is aligning its physicians and care teams with patient needs throughout the Treasure Valley. Rather than spreading physicians and APPs thinly across multiple clinics, concentrating its care teams will help: * Reduce gaps in on-call coverage * Support providers' work-life balance * Improve scheduling access * Support long-term workforce stability Does this affect me? Patients who may be impacted by location or care changes are being contacted and supported by its St. Luke's Patient Access teams. Patients will continue to have options for care, including OB-GYN physicians in Meridian and Boise, the midwifery and OB-GYN team in Nampa, and independent midwifery groups across the region. Are any positions being eliminated? No. The upcoming realignment will not include any positions being eliminated. Some team members will move their work location to another clinic while others will be reassigned within the clinic. I have more questions. Who should I contact? Patients are encouraged to contact their provider's office directly for assistance. Related Tags

Charity has been helping Idaho kids who have life-threatening illnesses for 40 years. Updated May 13, 2026 1:05 PM Gift Article The rows of kids' photos on the Friendship Foundation's Instagram page are what chokes me up. They all faced life-threatening illnesses and were beneficiaries of the annual Friendship Scramble fundraiser, now in its 40th year. Some of the kids made it and are living happy, healthy lives today. Some, though, didn't make it. But they at least had one day dedicated to them. "It's a day away from the hospital, from being poked and prodded every other minute," Mike Russell, one of the cofounders and tournament director, told me in a phone interview. "And they just get attention and praise. It's a day set aside just for them." What started out as a small informal golf scramble to benefit a friend and family member who had health issues has grown into an annual event that is celebrating its 40th year of helping children and their families in the midst of battling a life-threatening disease. This year's scramble is Saturday at Warm Springs Golf Course, where it's been held every year since 1987. The tournament began as a small, fun fundraiser to help Mike's cousin, Pat Russell, or Father Pat, a priest in Boise who had osteogenesis imperfecta, a brittle bone disease. "We had so much damn fun that first year, though, it's like, 'Oh my gosh, let's do this again,'" Mike said. "It was just every year, it kept building and building." Friendship Foundation aiming for $1 million in donations. The Friendship Scramble also now has a corresponding half-million-dollar nonprofit Friendship Foundation that not only donates money to the family of the chosen recipient, it also donates money for research into that child's disease. "As of last year, the total amount we have donated is $725,144," Mike said. "And I'm really excited to hit the million-dollar mark." The Friendship Foundation partners with St. Luke's each to select one child per year, under the age of 16, newly diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. What I like about the idea is that they just give the family the money, no strings attached, just do with it what you want. They're hoping to give the largest check to date to celebrate the 40th anniversary. "Here's a small gift that maybe you can use to go on a family gathering," Mike said. "Some of the things that these recipients' families have done over the years would just blow your mind." In the past, funds have been used to get out of homelessness or to buy a used car to get to doctor's appointments. The money has gone to save for college, with at least one recipient going on to complete college after recovering from her illness. Other families have used the money for a vacation to Disneyland. "One little boy wanted a backyard to play in," Mike said. "So we put in grass and a swing set." Remembering one Friendship Foundation recipient. It turns out that I knew the 2009 recipient, Jayden Bennett, of Kuna, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when he was 9 years old. I wrote about Jayden several times throughout his fight. At one point, he had his leg amputated, and I remember going to his house one day shortly after and watched as he jumped on a new trampoline. I didn't know it at the time, but the trampoline was purchased with money received from the Friendship Scramble. Jayden's face is one of the faces on the Friendship Foundation's Instagram page. Sadly, Jayden is among those who didn't make it. He died in 2012 at the age of 11. This year's recipient will be announced at the tournament on Saturday. Recipients treated like celebrities. On the day of the tournament, recipients are treated like celebrities. Some come via ambulance, limousine or helicopter. Sometimes they're in a wheelchair or even a hospital bed. When they're there, players swarm around them, giving them fist bumps and high-fives and showering them with gifts, praise and words of encouragement. The tournament, much like its original roots, is all-volunteer made up of friends and family members. Breakfast is donated by Dan Ansotegui, lunch is donated by Westside Drive-in, adult beverages are donated by Stein Distributing and soft drinks and water are donated by Swire. Many families and businesses donate quietly behind the scenes and out of the limelight. It's a real community effort. Many of the donors have been doing it for 25 years or more. I asked Mike how he and the group of all volunteers do it every year and whether they ever thought about calling it quits over the past 40 years. "I never have, and I don't think our committee or the family ever had either," he said. "You know, I try to explain this, and it's hard, but we get so much more back. Everybody's like, 'Oh, you do so much.' It's just that we get that feeling, and we get back so much more than we give. Are we exhausted and tired at the end of the day? Absolutely, but it's a good tired. It's a great feeling, and it's a 'we want to do it again' feeling. It's worth it." This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 4:00 AM. The Idaho Way April 10, 2026 4:00 AM The Idaho Way November 5, 2025 4:00 AM Idaho Statesman Scott McIntosh is the Idaho Statesman opinion editor. A graduate of Syracuse University, he joined the Statesman in August 2019. He previously was editor of the Idaho Press and the Argus Observer and was the owner and editor of the Kuna Melba News. He has been honored for his editorials and columns as well as his education, business and local government watchdog reporting by the Idaho Press Club and the National Newspaper Association. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, The Idaho Way. Support my work with a digital subscription