More hospital expansion for Cape Girardeau

Cape Girardeau's hospitals are going through a period of expansion that promises to enhance the city's reputation as a regional medical hub.

The news of their additions and expansions is good for Southeast Missouri on so many levels. It means both facilities are doing well enough to fund such significant building projects. And it means an injection of construction dollars in the local economy.

It also means area residents with medical needs are going to have two larger and even better equipped hospitals to choose from.

The latest announcement comes from Southeast Missouri Hospital. The hospital is scheduled to break ground in late November or early December on a $15 million medical office building and complete it by July 2005.

The four-story, 75,000-square-foot building will provide office space for approximately 40 doctors. Administrator Jim Wente said the hospital has considered construction of a medical office building for more than a decade for the convenience of patients and of doctors, who are treating patients in both their offices and the hospital.

In addition, there are plans to expand the existing clinical services building on Lacey Street, including constructing new operating suites. That $6.2 million project is expected to begin before the end of the year and be completed by February 2005.

A flurry of announcements

The news follows a flurry of announcements from both Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center last year.

In January 2002, St. Francis Medical Center announced its new partnership with doctors in Poplar Bluff, Mo., to build a medical campus that eventually is expected to include a 50-bed hospital. And in March the medical center announced plans for a $7.5 million health and fitness center to be added to the existing hospital's main campus. Both came on the heels of the medical center's re-entry into obstetrics with the opening in of a birthing center and neonatal intensive care unit.

Hospitals address obstetrics

Last July St. Francis announced it was rebuilding its Family Birthplace to include more rooms for mothers and more space in the neonatal intensive care unit. The rebuilding is part of an overall $48 million expansion plan.

A year ago, Southeast Missouri Hospital introduced its redesigned and refurbished Elrod Obstetrics and Gynecology Center with a series of special events. The hospital took existing space and invested $4.3 million for a remodeled labor, delivery, recovery unit. The change allows mothers-to-be to go through the entire process of having a baby all in the same large room, and there's plenty of space for visitors to wish mothers and babies well.

Also last year, Southeast Missouri Hospital began a $16 million expansion that includes the addition of two floors atop the Harrison Annex that will increase the number of private rooms to 107 from 36. That project continues toward completion.

All the news reminds those who live in the area how fortunate we are to have such top-rate regional medical care and facilities.