By Justin Adams | [email protected]

For Herriman families experiencing a medical emergency, there is now a much closer option available for emergency services.

This month the Lone Peak Hospital network will be opening a new Herriman Emergency Center (5050 W. Herriman Rose Boulevard) just north of the McDonald’s and Walmart on 13400 South. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new facility was held on Sep. 22.

This emergency center will meet a critical need for emergency services in this part of the valley. Thousands of families have chosen to call this beautiful area home. But up until now, hospital-level emergency care wasn’t available in this city,” said Brian Lines, CEO of Lone Peak Hospital.

The new emergency center features 10 patient exam rooms, onsite diagnostics like X-rays, CT, and ultrasound, and lab services.

Having these kinds of services available so much closer than other previously available options will make a big difference for critical patient care according to Unified Fire Authority Chief Dominic Burchett.

“Our crews make tough decisions each day about the best way to help individuals survive accidents, injuries and illness. Often one of those tough decisions is: where do we transport our patient? Very few things are as stressful as having a long transport time with a critical patient. With free-standing ER’s opening in areas that have significant growth, like Herriman, helps us make that decision a little bit easier,” Burchett said.

Burchett specifically cited the intersection of 13400 South and Rosecrest Road as “one of the busiest” in Herriman. “The closest ER, previously, was about 8-10 minutes away. This facility will cut that drive down to just a few minutes. And that makes a huge difference when it comes to potentially saving a life,” he said.

Herriman Mayor Lorin Palmer was also on-hand for the ribbon-cutting, and praised the center as another piece of crucial infrastructure for a growing city.

“This is a pivotal and exciting time to live and work in Herriman. We are becoming a community of milestones, and today is one of the greatest milestones that we get to celebrate,” he said.

“I talk a lot about infrastructure and responsible growth, and what could be more responsible than making sure our healthcare needs are met as the city continues to grow. Infrastructure is not just roads and water. It’s healthcare, and we’re fortunate to have this facility that meets that critical need.”

Dr. Jeremy Voros shared a story of a time when he was working in another Lone Peak standalone emergency center.

“These parents brought this little two-year old girl in because she couldn’t breathe. It was the middle of the night, but they lived just down the street. We were able to get her stabilized and breathing, then transferred her to a hospital,” he said.

A few weeks later, Dr. Voros received a letter from the mother thanking his team for their excellent service. He now keeps that letter in his office as a reminder of the importance that these emergency centers can have when people’s lives are on the line.