SOUTHEAST HOSPITAL BUYS WEST-SIDE LAND

Southeast Missouri Hospital is in the process of obtaining land near Interstate 55.

The hospital intends to use the property for future expansion options. The new site will almost double the property owned by the hospital at its main campus on Broadway across from Capaha Park.

The announcement of a 21.2-acre addition was made Tuesday at the property about a half-mile south of the intersection of Mount Auburn Road and Highway 74 and almost a mile from Doctors' Park.

The undeveloped property is part of the former Silver Springs farm, which is owned by F.J. and Lula Armstrong. A historic home on Silver Springs Road sits on a portion of the property but will not be part of the new campus.

The Armstrong family donated 4.2 acres of land, and the hospital is purchasing another 17 acres from them. The purchase price was not disclosed.

The site is bounded by the new extension of Mount Auburn Road on the west and Silver Springs Road on the eastern edge.

No specific plans for the site were announced nor was any construction timeline released. The hospital wants to study health-care needs in the community before making any immediate decisions, said Jim Wente, administrator and chief executive officer at Southeast.

Main hospital to remain

Wente said the main hospital campus will remain intact, but some outpatient services, clinics or care centers could eventually move to the new site in a medical mall setting.

"There's no reason for us to rush to build," Wente said.

The land is still zoned for residential use, according to the city's planning department. If any medical buildings were built, the hospital would have to request a new zoning classification.

The property is adjacent to land that has already been commercially zoned but isn't under construction.

About 150 people, including hospital staff and Cape Girdeau's and Jackson's mayors, attended the 15-minute press conference where hospital officials announced the addition. Many of the hospital's department heads didn't know about the announcement prior to 9 a.m. Tuesday, when they were driven to the site.

The hospital's main campus off Sunset Boulevard once marked Cape Girardeau's western border. Wente said the land acquisition puts the hospital on the new border.

Steven Bjelich, president of St. Francis Medical Center, said all hospitals are re-examining their needs as health-care needs change.

"It's an emphasis on outpatient services because that's the future of health care," he said.

St. Francis is already in a prime location, Bjelich said, and he doesn't expect to see any material impact from Southeast's addition. St. Francis' medical complex sits at the intersection of Mount Auburn Road and Route K, where it has been for 25 years.

Since Southeast Missouri Hospital opened in 1928, it has undergone 12 major expansions. The campus on Broadway sits on 23 acres and is landlocked with residential neighbors. The lawn that fronts Broadway, where two businesses were demolished recently, will remain as a green space.