FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 17, 2002
Construction at Providence St. Peter Hospital Reaches High Point
Hospital to Celebrate "Topping Off" Ceremony on Aug. 2
OLYMPIA—On Aug. 2, 2002, Providence St. Peter Hospital employees and Sellen construction workers will celebrate a milestone, signing and placing the top beam on the hospital’s new emergency department and laboratory addition.
With the structural framework in place, work will begin on the building’s exterior, including the installation of pre-cast concrete walls and window systems. This will be followed by interior framing work and installation of mechanical and electrical systems.
The new emergency department will be approximately 30,000 square feet, which is three times the size of the existing facility. Computerized patient tracking, three private triage booths and a new family waiting area will help alleviate wait times and provide more comfortable space for patients, families and staff.
The emergency department also will feature 39 private patient rooms, a specially equipped pediatric room, four women’s health rooms, two major trauma rooms, a crisis services unit and six cardiac and stroke rooms with new equipment.
Providence St. Peter Foundation Board has assessed the community’s interest in supporting the emergency department expansion and is preparing to launch a $3.3 million fund-raising campaign.
The new emergency department is scheduled to open in June 2003. This project is part of Providence St. Peter Hospital’s Campus Renewal expansion, a four-year, $63.3 million renovation launched in 2001 to meet the community’s growing need for health services in Southwest Washington.
A total of 100,000 square feet will be added to the emergency department, laboratory, diagnostic imaging, medical and surgical short stay units, and other areas. Plans also include upgrades to the patient care tower infrastructure, a new public concourse, two new cardiac catheterization labs (opened in December 2001), new equipment in the sterile processing department (completed in April 2002) and a remodeled coronary care unit/intensive care unit.
Work will wrap up on the surgery renovation by the end of September 2002. Some highlights include new flooring in five operating rooms, a new reception station, electrical infrastructure upgrades, a new air handling system and the addition of a 2,848-square-foot storage area.
Parking relief is also on the way. The hospital is building a 420-stall employee parking garage, which will be completed in March 2003. This will free up parking spaces close to the hospital for patients and visitors. Throughout construction, free valet parking is available for patients and visitors at the main hospital entrance, emergency department and outpatient surgery/inpatient rehabilitation building.
Providence St. Peter Hospital, founded by the Sisters of Providence in 1887, is a not-for-profit 390-bed hospital serving the five-county South Sound region with comprehensive medical, surgical and mental health services.
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