SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – Regional West Foundation will officially open the Platte Valley Companies’ Sorensen Education Center on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The open house will be held on the upper level of the main hospital entrance beginning at 5 p.m. The community is invited to attend.

The new 3,000 sq. ft. conference room features state of the art technology for presentations and teleconferencing and has a moveable wall system to convert the space into smaller meeting rooms. The construction project also included renovation of the Monument Room, the addition of a catering galley, and the addition of a meeting room for telemedicine conferences. The education center will provide space for continuing education, departmental and clinical meetings, and based on availability, for community meetings as well. 

In November, Hod Kosman, president and CEO of Platte Valley Companies and chairman of Regional West Health Services Board of Directors, surprised Health Services president and CEO Todd Sorensen with the announcement that Regional West’s new education center had been named in honor of the Sorensen family.

The Sorensen family has been deeply involved in the growth and development of the medical center since the end of World War II. C.N. Sorensen, MD, was the region’s first radiologist. He not only introduced specialized radiology services to western Nebraska after World War II, but also developed the School of Radiologic Technology. For more than 50 years, the school has trained students locally for careers as radiologic technologists.

The Campaign for Continuing Excellence has provided resources to design, construct, furnish, and install the latest technology for an on-site education center. The new training facility will expand local continuing education opportunities for hospital staff and providers. It is scheduled to open in the near future.

In addition, the campaign is funding the renovation of patient rooms and common areas, a new CT simulator for the Cancer Treatment Center, and new cardiac catheterization equipment for the Heart Center.

Regional West Foundation has been raising funds for the benefit of the hospital since 1972. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that solicits tax-deductible private contributions for the benefit of Regional West Medical Center. For more information about the Regional West Foundation Campaign for Continuing Excellence, please call 308.630.1485.