Demolition crews went to work last week to bring down the 1949 Northern Inyo Hospital building. With precision and determination, the big caterpillar equipment dug into the structure and brought it down fast.

Tuesday, virtually all of the building had come down. Just a few piles of rubble remained in the large expanse of bare ground. Once all of the demolition is finished, new crews will move in and start to construct the new hospital building.

Hospital Administrator John Halfen noted that the new facility should be ready in 23 months. State bureaucracy has made it slow going at times, particularly on the design for the new hospital foundation. The Office of Statewide Health Planning demanded a $4 million, extensive foundation of some 50 large rods implanted deeply in the ground under the new structure.

Now and during construction the hospital’s main entrance will accommodate everyone – from emergencies to lab procedures.

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