No. 2: Billion-dollar expansion plans move health care forward

St. John’s Health System led off the year well into its $600 million, 10-year master plan.

Structural construction continued on St. John’s Hospital’s eight-story, 289-bed inpatient tower, costing about $101 million. Officials plan to “button up the building” by January, according to Construction and Facilities Administrator Bob Norton, and the tall cranes – now a familiar site outside the building – will disappear. Infill work will begin, as will preliminary work for the circle-drive entrance.

Anticipated completion of the tower is December 2007.

In the fall of this year, St. John’s opened a 19,000-square-foot one-story building conjoining its Cancer Center and Whiteside buildings. Cancer and hematology services are offered there.

The Cancer Center itself spent the year under renovation, set for completion in the very near future, says Media Relations Director Cora Scott. The original target date was February, but Scott said St. John’s is two months ahead of schedule.

Additions to the Cancer Center will include a breast-care facility, a community health library, an auditorium and some classrooms.

While St. John’s prepared to wrap up its long-term master plan, CoxHealth in February unveiled an aggressive 15-year redevelopment strategy, dubbed Second Century for the system’s second 100 years in business.

The plan is expected to exceed $200 million, in addition to $55 million for the redevelopment of Cox’s north campus.

In 2006, inpatient beds at the North campus were consolidated and moved to either Cox South or Cox Walnut Lawn. No jobs were cut.

In August, the results of a study sponsored by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce found that health care has a $4.5 billion economic impact every year in the Springfield metropolitan area.

Now, officials are working with architects and engineers to set a course for constructing three freestanding buildings at the north campus: Cox College of Nursing and Health Sciences, a Behavioral Health Center and a Family Medicine Residency with 24-hour urgent care. The campus’ 10-story medical tower also will be renovated.

The work at Cox North is a little behind, according to Director of Corporate Communications Chris Whitley, due partly to a change in leadership at the College of Nursing. Former President DeLois Weekes was forced to resign in September amid questions about the college’s financial management, and an interim leadership team has operated in her place. Whitley said Cox wants someone in the president’s role before it makes significant decisions about the direction of the new college facility.

The slight delay also has been partly because of an engineering director hired later in the year, who has brought new redevelopment ideas to the table, Whitley said.

Next year will bring some very visible activity to the project, Whitley said, and Cox North’s makeover should be complete by 2011. Operations at Cox North aren’t expected to stop during the process.[[In-content Ad]]