ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthEast Care System today announced a plan for a major expansion and renovation at St. Joseph's Hospital in downtown St. Paul. The entire project, which is expected to cost approximately $70 million, will take several years to complete.
HealthEast has allocated $3.5 million for the development of building plans, which will continue throughout the next year followed by a groundbreaking anticipated in early 2006. Boldt Consulting has been hired to plan the project, and interviews with architectural firms are underway.
The planning process aims to provide new space for heart care services, neuroscience services, outpatient services, a new lobby/entry area, and a renovated and expanded emergency department. Another goal of the renovation at St. Joseph's is to have 100% private rooms for the medical and surgical patients.
"As HealthEast's primary provider of specialty services such as cardiovascular and neuroscience services, St. Joseph's Hospital has experienced consistent growth and increased patient demand since the mid- '90s," says Tim Hanson, President & CEO of HealthEast. "To continue to meet the needs of our patients, we have talked with more than 200 community and business leaders who affirmed our need to expand operations at St. Joseph's Hospital, replace parts of the structure and reconfigure the facility to incorporate healing environments and efficiencies that are critical for a state-of-the-art 21st century campus."
As one of the Twin Cities' leading providers of neuroscience services, HealthEast draws patients from throughout the Upper Midwest for its specialized neuroscience services such as CyberKnife, interventional neuro- radiology, neurosurgery, and stroke care. St. Joseph's is the hub for HealthEast's cardiovascular services, providing around-the-clock interventional procedures for heart attack patients, open heart surgery, implantable devices and cardiac rehabilitation.
"Our experienced and dedicated doctors, nurses and staff serve every day with expertise and compassion," says Scott Batulis, CEO of St. Joseph's Hospital. "We want our environment to complement the outstanding care we have always provided to our patients."
The funding for this investment will require a partnership of support from HealthEast, the local business and faith communities, grateful patients and their families, and corporate and individual donors. "We are so grateful for the support we have received from the community and look forward to continued partnership," says Hanson.
"St. Joseph's has been a vital part of the St. Paul community for over 150 years," says St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly. "We support HealthEast in this endeavor and look forward to having St. Joseph's serve our community for many years to come."
In its 2004 fiscal year, St. Joseph's had approximately 14,000 inpatient admissions, 20,000 emergency visits, and 6,000 surgical cases. St. Joseph's has 401 licensed beds and over 1,700 employees and 600 physicians on its medical staff.
St. Joseph's Hospital and HealthEast Care System
As part of the HealthEast Care System, St. Joseph's combines high-touch with high-tech for its state-of-the-art heart care program, the burgeoning HealthEast Neurovascular Institute, and the Upper Midwest's first and only site to offer CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery for non-surgical treatment of previously inoperable tumors and lesions. St. Joseph's also offers comprehensive hospital services, from delivering babies to providing compassionate hospice care; from advanced surgery to behavioral and chemical dependency treatment; from high-tech diagnostics to patient-centered spiritual care.
HealthEast Care System is a community-focused, non-profit health care system that provides a full spectrum of family health services. Hospitals include St. Joseph's Hospital, St. John's Hospital, Woodwinds Health Campus and Bethesda Rehabilitation Hospital. Other services include clinics, senior care centers, rehabilitation facilities, hospice, home care, outpatient surgery centers and a variety of other health facilities and programs. HealthEast has approximately 7,500 employees and has more than 1,300 physicians on staff.
For additional information about St. Joseph's Hospital or HealthEast Care System, call HealthEast Care Connection at 651-326-CARE (651-326-2273), or visit http://www.healtheast.org/ .
HealthEast Care SystemCONTACT: Ginger Buxa of HealthEast Public Relations,Direct +1-651-326-3590, Pager +1-651-864-1023, gabuxa@healtheast.org
Web site: http://www.healtheast.org/
