Saint Francis Medical Center planning $127M expansion

EDITOR'S NOTE: The number of private patient rooms after the project has been corrected.

In an effort to provide more patient privacy, Saint Francis Medical Center will spend up to $127 million to upgrade and expand its Cape Girardeau facility. When completed in 2016, all of the hospital's 320 patient rooms will be private, said Steven C. Bjelich, president and chief executive officer.

The Building on Excellence project could be the most expensive construction project in the history of the city, coming in at $2 million more than the new Isle of Capri casino set to open this fall.

Plans call for a new, modern main entrance and five-story patient tower, a Women and Children's Pavilion and an Orthopedic and Neurosciences Center. The project will add 217,270 square feet to the medical center, bringing the medical center to a total of 1.6 million square feet. The renovation of an existing 148,660 square feet is also planned.

A groundbreaking is scheduled for February when its existing main entrance will close and excavation will begin.

"It's more than feasible, it's essential," Bjelich said of the project. "Now is the right time for us as we are well positioned for the future. We are putting money back into the community and back into Saint Francis."

About $75 million to fund the project will be raised through bond financing and another $52 million will come from the medical center's operations funds.

"Financing right now is outstanding and building costs are less now then they will be in the future," Bjelich said.

About 500 construction jobs will be created by the project, and about 100 employees will be added to staff the new facilities once they are completed.

Mayor Harry Rediger said this major investment will enhance the city's already strong medical community.

"We have a very high-tech and terrific medical community that draws people from parts of five states. This expansion will continue to enhance that. It's one of the keys of us being a regional hub," said Rediger, who served for 16 years on the medical center's board of directors.

The five-story patient tower will require approval of the city's planning and zoning commission and city council as it falls outside the hospital's current zoning regulations.

"I don't anticipate that being an issue," Rediger said.

With aging baby boomers becoming eligible for Medicare and with health care reform promising new access to health care to those who haven't had it before, Bjelich said the expansion is needed to equip the hospital to serve the future needs of the community.

"If we don't prepare for this huge influx of patients, we won't have adequate numbers of physicians or adequate numbers of beds," Bjelich said.

Having all private rooms will help control infection, provide more room for medical equipment and improve the comfort of patients, Bjelich said.

Not only do patients prefer private rooms, but hospital staff often run into problems when assigning patients to shared rooms because of the patient's gender or infection issues, Bjelich said.

"Right now, we can't guarantee private rooms for some of our surgical specialties," Bjelich said. Currently, 59 percent of the center's 289 patient beds are in private rooms. Transitioning to all private rooms was the top goal among 65 objectives in the medical center's strategic plan developed last fall.

"If I don't feel well, I don't want to share a room with someone else, particularly when I don't know them," Bjelich said.

The renovations and expansion plans were designed by the Denver-based Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative with input from the hospital medical staff. Thirty-five physicians were involved in the process, which included more than 1,017 hours spent by staff discussing options and ideas. The Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative also designed Saint Francis' $84 million Cancer Institute and Heart Hospital, which opened in July.

The new five-story patient tower and main entrance will create a stronger front presence for the hospital, which Bjelich said is needed.

"Right now it does not really reflect the scope or depth or quality of services we provide," he said.

A new north entrance and atrium will also be built leading into the women and children's services areas. Cape Care for Women's offices will also eventually relocate here.

Plans also call for more parking, with 200 new underground parking spaces at the new patient tower.

In addition to private rooms, other improvements include:

* Dedicated areas and staff for orthopedics, neurosciences, rehabilitation, surgical and nonsurgical medical patients, and women and children's services.

* Family Birthplace expansion

* Expanded pain management

* Dedicated and updated patient elevators and "patient-only" corridors

* Private NICU rooms

* Fifth floor of new patient tower will be reserved for future growth.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

211 Saint Francis Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO