"Fundraising for the first phase was going better thananticipated and our revenue was up, so we decided to launch asecond phase," Mercy spokesperson Don Collins explains toGlobeSt.com. "We raised the funds, but that's not the main reasonbehind the new expansion project. The increase in demand forservices made us decide to invest the money in this way." Thehospital has experienced a 17% increase in emergency services since1999, and over 50,000 patients are expected to come into theemergency room annually.

At the Mercy Medical Center campus--which has been located at301 St. Paul Street since its inception over 125 yearsago--construction will add surgical services and three operatingrooms. The hospital is increasingly becoming known as a preeminentwomen's health services facility. The new development project alsocalls for renovations and additions to the hospice unit andlong-term patient care rooms at the Stella Maris/Mercy Ridgecampus, located at 2300 Dulaney Valley Road in Timonium, MD.

Upon construction completion, Stella Maris/Mercy Ridge will havemore than 400 senior living apartments and 47 assisted livingunits. Finally, the $42 million will allow Mercy to relocate itsphysician billing and support services departments, currentlyhoused outside the city in White Marsh, to a new 25,000-sf space atthe 15-acre Tide Point development.