While ORMC must obtain local site plan approval as well asreceive the green light from the New York State Department ofHealth before it can proceed, groundbreaking for the seven-story,374-bed facility is expected in November 2007. The hospital willtotal more than 606,000 sf and include more than 1,600 parkingspaces. It is anticipated that the new hospital will be operationalin the first quarter of 2011.

The development of the new hospital will eventually allow ORMCto shut down the existing 286-bed Horton Medical Center on ProspectAvenue in Middletown and the 174-bed Arden Hill Hospital in Goshen.Arden Hill Hospital and Horton Medical Center merged in 2002 tobecome Orange Regional Medical Center. Since the merger, thehospital has focused on consolidating existing resources,eliminating redundancies, expanding services and improving accessto necessary services, hospital officials state. The hospital hasbeen successful in its efforts thus far, but has been constrainedby the age and physical limitations of existing facilities.Therefore, a decision was made to consolidate the two campuses ontoa single site in a new replacement hospital, they add.

Rob Lee, executive vice president, public relations andmarketing at ORMC, says, "Once the new hospital is complete, they[Horton and Arden Hill hospitals] will be closed and sold."Proceeds from those sales will be used to help pay for the newhospital, he adds.