St. John's expansion transforms campus

St. John's Health Systems launched a multiphase $326 million expansion project last year that is transforming its main campus in Springfield into an ultra-modern comprehensive health care facility.

The expansion project is the largest ever undertaken by the regional health care provider, which has served Ozarks residents since 1891.

"The master site plan we've developed will allow us to meet the needs of residents, physicians and employees during the next 10 to 20 years," said Bill Syler, vice president of facilities. "The changes we're making will enable us to continue to offer quality health care more efficiently and will give us room to grow."

Most of these changes will take place at St. John's main campus. These changes include a new medical office building and outpatient surgery center; a parking garage; an energy center; an emergency trauma center and construction of a new convent.

Other improvements include an additional inpatient tower; ambulatory entrance and facilities in the hospital; construction of a traffic loop within the campus; hospital expansion on the northeast side; meeting rooms and education facilities; a new day care center; and better accessibility for all hospital and physician services.

A number of changes also are being made off the main campus. In April, St. John's opened a new fitness center in Nixa, and the Smith-Glynn-Callaway Medical Building in Springfield is scheduled for renovations.

Several construction projects are under way at the main campus. Last year, St. John's demolished the former Seminole Avenue Baptist Church to make way for the new medical office building and outpatient surgery center. Construction of the six-floor, 216,000-square-foot building began in August, and Syler estimated exterior construction would be completed by January 2003.

"We're completing this building one floor at a time," said Syler. "It's more economical and more efficient to do it that way."

The new medical office building and outpatient surgery center will help St. John's streamline the delivery of patient services.

The medical building will provide office space for 35 to 40 orthopedists, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists and other medical specialists who frequently perform outpatient surgical procedures.

In November 2001, preliminary construction work began on a new 1,000-space parking garage, which is located north of Hammons Heart Institute and west of the Fremont Medical Building. The new garage eventually will connect to a series of underground walkways that will link the buildings on the main campus. Syler estimated construction of the garage would be completed in November 2002.

In April, a portion of the Marion Center was demolished to make room for St. John's new 33,000-square-foot energy center, which will cost $20 million. The energy center, which is located on the northeast side of the campus, will be completed by November 2003.

"The price of that building includes the cost of the equipment," said Syler. "We're putting in five generators. We have space to add two more generators later, if they're needed."

The energy center will provide all of the power for St. John's new emergency trauma center, which is designed to support 84,000 visitors per year. Ambulances with critical or serious cases will go to a garage in a protected area that will be large enough to unload seven or eight ambulances at a time, Syler said, while the new entrance can accommodate multiple triage nurses for faster service. Construction on the trauma center began last month and should be completed in 2004.

Syler said four stories will be constructed during the first phase of the trauma center. A shell floor on top will serve as a landing pad for Life Line helicopters.

"Over time, that building could expand up to eight stories," he said. "Seven would be used for patients, and one floor would contain mechanical equipment."

As soon as the trauma center is complete, the existing emergency room will be torn out to make room for the new inpatient tower. Patients and services will be moved from the East Pavilion, and renovations and construction of the new heart hospital will begin, Syler added.

Phase two of the new trauma center will begin in 2006 or 2007. The combined cost for both phases is estimated to be $20 million.

Other projects currently underway include the rebuilding of Seminole Avenue and construction of a new convent, which will be linked to adjacent buildings on the main campus by underground walkways. Once construction is complete, the former convent on Sunshine Street will be used by St. John's Outpatient Behavioral Health Services.

Like many of the buildings currently under construction, the new convent is being built with an eye toward the future. According to Syler, the convent could be converted into office or meeting space at a future date.

Several architects are being used for the master site project. Christner Inc. of St. Louis served as the architect for the master site plan and designed and developed the exterior structure of each building. A number of other architects will be used to design the interior of new buildings.

A number of engineering firms also are involved in the project, along with many local construction companies. Syler estimated as many as 250 construction workers will be used at any given time throughout the duration of the master site project.

"By and large, we're using local labor," said Syler. "It creates a win-win situation. Local laborers stay around and work through the total length of the project, so there's not a lot of turnover. That's good for us. The money they earn also stays right here, which is good for the community."