Harvey and Edna Skoog may be modern-day pioneers. The couple moved to Prescott Valley in 1982. At that time, the community’s population hovered at about 3,000. A herd of pronghorn antelope occupied the area that would one day be home to Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) East.
Harvey Skoog became Mayor Harvey Skoog from 1993 to 1998. That was hardly enough time to fulfill an ambitious agenda that included working with the YRMC team to build a hospital in Prescott Valley. Another election in 2004 put him back in the Mayor’s office, where he has been ever since.
Welcoming YRMC East
Mayor Skoog advocated for the hospital throughout every term. He watched as Prescott Valley’s population grew by antelope-like leaps and bounds. Soon, the community was large enough to support a hospital.
“People were waiting for YRMC to open,” said Mayor Skoog. “They wanted it here.”
Mayor Skoog’s advocacy paid off and on May 15, 2006, he joined hospital leaders for a ribbon cutting ceremony at YRMC East in Prescott Valley.
“We got the hospital at about 30,000 population and it was one of the happiest days,” said Mayor Skoog. “I thought it would just be a hospital and here we got all of these other services.”
In the years since it opened, YRMC East has emerged as a thriving medical hub surrounded by healthcare services, including:
- Advanced Wound Care
- The BreastCare Center
- Infusion Center
- Prescott Valley Medical Imaging
- The Vein Center
- YRMC Family Birthing Center
“Today Prescott Valley has 45,000 residents,” said Mayor Skoog. “And YRMC is just a phenomenal part of our growth.”
Good for Business and Good for the Community
YRMC East has been a magnet for Prescott Valley, according to Mayor Skoog. It has attracted businesses to the area that appreciate having a hospital close by for their employees.
In addition to its high quality medical services, community members also have embraced YRMC East as their own in other ways. Mayor Skoog points to a group that he joins most Thursdays at YRMC East.
“About a dozen or so of us get together for coffee and to talk right there in the hospital’s Cafeteria,” said Mayor Skoog. “That’s the attitude of the whole community about YRMC East. People love it and they take pride in the hospital.”