MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING ON SCHEDULE

Interior walls of a new 98,000-square-foot, $12-million-plus medical office building are being erected 100 feet east of the St. Francis Medical Center's emergency room entrance, and the office building should be completed in January.

Richard Essner, St. Francis environmental engineer service director, said the construction is on schedule.

"A new three-level, 650-space parking garage, next to the new building, is complete," he said. "The heating and plumbing and mechanical work will begin soon." Work on the building is being done by local contractor Kiefner Construction.

The medical building will house St. Francis services, convenient care, woman care, retail pharmacy, gift shop, coffeeshop and deli, radiology/lab area, and reception area on the first floor.

Offices in the upper levels will be rented to dentists, physicians and medical groups.

Jim Sexton, St. Francis' president and chief operating officer, said the new four-level building is part of the hospital complex.

"The historical reason for the construction of the building is a campus concept for the hospital," said Sexton. "We want to put more services in one location."

He said convenient care will continue to grow.

"The new square footage of convenient care will hopefully cut down on the waiting time of those seeking non-emergency care," he said.

Sexton said physicians who rent office space will refer their patients to the hospital of their choice.

"We don't expect that any of the physicians to only use St. Francis; in fact, it is illegal to do so," he said.

Some 70 percent of the available square footage of the medial office area is committed.

A multi-specialty group practice, a newly forming medical group, a dentist, and a newly formed cardiac surgery group have already made a decision to lease space in the facility.

Sexton said he does not expect the hospital to make a profit from the new medical building.

"We are offering the medical office space to help provide services," he said. "I expect us to break even."