Saint Francis project on schedule for 2016 completion

More than a year after Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau broke ground on its $127 million expansion and renovation project, it remains on schedule for completion in the summer of 2016, hospital officials say.

The building project is the second-most expensive building project in the city's history, behind Isle Casino Cape Girardeau.

The expansion and renovation, also known as the "Building on Excellence" project, will add 243,719 square feet to the existing medical center, bringing the hospital's total square footage to more than 1.17 million, not including garage space.

Last month, the hospital announced the opening of its Expanded Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the first phase of the project that was completed.

The expanded NICU provides 18 individual rooms, with several equipped for multiple births such as twins or triplets.

Construction at Saint Francis Medical Center continues, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. (Laura Simon)

The private rooms will allow families to be more comfortable with their babies and prevent the spread of infection, according to a prepared project update document provided to the Southeast Missourian.

Saint Francis treats about 250 babies in the NICU each year, according to a news release from the hospital. The Family BirthPlace ended 2013 with the delivery of 24 sets of twins -- with five sets were born in a single week in October -- and one set of triplets, another news release said.

A family room that provides activities and an escape from a clinical setting is included in the NICU.

Work on the Level III NICU Development Follow-up Clinic renovations has begun and should be finished next month, said Building on Excellence project director Marilyn Curtis, MSA, in the document.

The project's major points include moving the hospital to all private rooms with 340 licensed patient beds. About 65 percent of the hospital's rooms now are semiprivate. Plans include building a north and south tower, which involves new construction and renovation of existing space. The North Tower will house a women and children's pavilion, and the South Tower will house orthopedics, neurosciences and medical services.

Construction inside the chapel at Saint Francis Medical Center continues, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. (Laura Simon)

"As our patient volumes continue to grow, the original 1976 structure of Saint Francis Medical Center needs to be upgraded to keep up with patient expectations, new technology and the future of healthcare," said Saint Francis Medical Center president and CEO Steve Bjelich in the document.

Completion of the entire project is scheduled for summer 2016, and new and expanded areas will open throughout the construction, Curtis said.

The hospital's Chapel of Saint Francis is nearing completion of its renovation, which includes a larger entrance with a vaulted cathedral ceiling and double doors surrounded by a wall of stained glass. The entrance will open into another set of double doors that will control noise, and floors inside and outside the chapel will be renovated.

An artist's rendering of Saint Francis Medical Center's South Tower.

The Saint Francis Foundation funded the chapel project.

Construction on an addition to the hospital's North Tower will begin in June, according to Curtis, and it will feature a Women and Children's Pavilion.

The pavilion will house an expansion of the Family BirthPlace, gynecologic surgery services and perinatology services for high-risk pregnancies.

The obstetrics and gynecological medical practice Cape Care for Women will be relocated to the North Tower, which also will house a Children's Center staffed by specialists in pediatrics.

An artist's rendering of Saint Francis Medical Center's South Tower.

The South Tower is scheduled for completion in June 2015 and is visible from Interstate 55, Curtis said.

The five-story tower will hold an area for the hospital's orthopedic program that is closer to rehabilitation/therapy, the Nerurosciences Institute and 24/7 Stroke Center and inpatient rehabilitation that is closer to patient floors and therapists. The tower will house the expansion and relocation of the Pain Management and Wound Care Centers as well as inpatient rehabilitation and surgical services.

Changes from the Affordable Care Act and the rising number of aging baby boomers will stress the health-care system, Bjelich said.

"Saint Francis has been anticipating these changes and subsequent challenges for years," Bjelich said. "Meeting these challenges will require more resources, new approaches to care delivery and a greater focus on wellness and prevention."

The large amount of ongoing construction has affected the local economy.

The project has provided between 400 and 450 construction jobs to area vendors and subcontractors, and about 95 percent of the vendors are in the hospital's service area, according to the document.

About 50 jobs will be created within the hospital each year from 2016 to 2018.

About 300 underground and surface parking spaces will be added during the project.

The economic effect is not limited to jobs, but in bringing visitors to Cape Girardeau as well.

Construction was high on a list of "primary market drivers" compiled by the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau using information shared by Drury Hotels and Midamerica Hotels Corp. Market drivers and rank are related to the number of overnight guests.

The hospital's expansion and the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau, among other projects, placed construction as the No. 2 reason people visited Cape Girardeau in 2013, according to the summary.

ashedd@semissourian.com

388-3632

Pertinent address:

211 St. Francis Dr., Cape Girardeau, MO