Saint Francis opens new patient tower

On July 1, the new five-story patient tower at Saint Francis Medical Center opened in Cape Girardeau as part of a sweeping expansion process begun in 2011.

At a total cost of $127 million -- $107.5 million for construction, $12 million in capital costs and $7.5 million in financing -- the tower is part of the Building on Excellence campaign that came about as part of the hospital system's most recent strategic plan.

The initiative includes not only the patient tower on the south side of the hospital, but a new pavilion for women's and children's services on the northeast side, scheduled for completion in July 2016; renovations to existing space; an outdoor Healing Garden; the Friends Cafe; an improved neonatal intensive care unit completed in 2013; and an expanded Family Birthplace center.

After all work is completed, the hospital will go from having 284 private licensed patient beds to 340.

Not only is all of the above an achievement for Saint Francis, but it's also a boon for the local region.

Often, area residents, especially those living in more remote or rural communities, have been obliged to travel to hospitals in St. Louis and other large metropolitan areas for services not available in the regional hub of Cape Girardeau. That's not an ideal situation for anyone, especially people who are ill and stressed by travel.

With improvements at Saint Francis and the city's other major hospital system, SoutheastHEALTH, those long drives in the midst of suffering are becoming much less necessary, and will continue to do so.

Another less dramatic, but no less important, benefit is the economic activity generated by these two major area employers. The two hospitals combine to employ well more than 5,000 people.

With expansions and improvements, higher-paying jobs are added to the local economy, which filters into everyone's quality of life here.

We congratulate Saint Francis for steadily working toward its expansion and appreciate its presence here, as well as that of SoutheastHEALTH. Our region is fortunate to have two excellent health-care centers.