Construction began in early 2001. Ilene Wolf, spokeswoman for the hospital,said the building should be done sometime in 2004. "Even in the winter, they've put up barriers so they can work on the insideof the building," Wolf told GlobeSt.com.
The new nine-story building will add more space to the hospital, allowingthe current departments in the older central tower and other portions of thebuilding to move into the new facility.Hospital officials said the additions will help ease overcrowding in thehospital. The central tower is getting antiquated, officials said, andthere's a need to open up more room for patients by offering more one-bedsuites, and to open up more room for staff for new offices, storage andeducation areas.
Wolf said many operating and bed suites will move to the new tower when itis finished, allowing for classrooms to be installed in the older buildings.Neonatal care and oncology are among the services that will move to the newfacility. A 16-station surgery floor and a 32-station pre-operation areawill also be offered.
Another wing, of about the same size, may be added to the North Tower along13 Mile Road by 2006. This plan is subject to the economy and the state's ability to allow beds.
The hospital opened in 1955 as a 238-bed community hospital. In 1999, thelarge hospital on 123 acres along 13 Mile Road had more than 100,000 emergency patients.
The company opened a $17.5 million new emergency center and a 127,000-sf,$42 million expanded research building in 2001.Today, the complex in Royal Oak is a 929-bed research center and mainhospital, and is one of the 10 busiest inpatient hospitals in the country.
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