Girl Scouts visit future hospital

Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Troop 76 stopped by the Dennis and Carol Troesh Medical Campus to get a first look at the future hospital on Thursday, July 8. In addition to their smiles, they also brought nearly 150 boxes of cookies.

Trop leader, Julia Firnkoess, said the troop has been eagerly awaiting the opening of the hospital and wanted to contribute any way they could.

“It’s been like watching history in the making,” Firnkoess said. “It takes a team to do something, and these girls have been working so hard to give back and make an investment in their community in some small way.”

This was the troop’s second visit to the future hospital and third cookie donation to the organization. They hand-delivered over 800 boxes of cookies to the construction team in April 2019. And despite the limitations of the pandemic, the troop was still able to donate approximately 700 boxes of cookies to the hospital — only that time, a troop mom made the delivery in March 2020.

Allison Ong, executive director of the Campus Transformation Project, led the Girl Scouts on a brief tour of the hospital’s first floor, sharing fun facts about the new building, such as “there are 4,200 doors throughout the hospital” and “this building is the second tallest hospital in the world to stand on base isolators.

Just like Troop 76, Ong said it has taken a lot of teamwork to build the new hospitals. “It’s been a remarkable project, and the teamwork is phenomenal, all in an effort to make sure our patients are cared for,” she said. “Teamwork lives here.”

Until their next visit, the troop is looking forward to watching the opening events next month.

For more information on the opening of the Dennis and Carol Troesh Medical Campus, visit lluh.org/newhospital.