Memorial breaks ground for expansion project

Send a link to a friend

[May 23, 2013]  SPRINGFIELD -- Hundreds of Memorial Medical Center employees gathered on the front lawn on May 14 to celebrate the beginning of the largest expansion project in the nonprofit hospital's history.

Memorial's expansion project, called Advancing Care by Design, totals an estimated 200,000 square feet of new construction. When completed in January 2016, the project will add three patient care units, 114 private inpatient rooms, six operating rooms, a renovated lobby and front entrance, and the Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation.

Edgar J. Curtis, president and chief executive officer of Memorial Health System, told employees at the ceremonial groundbreaking that the project was "not about bricks and mortar."

"It's about people," Curtis said. "The scope, scale and size of this project are pretty significant, but it's really about fulfilling our mission to improve the health of the people and communities we serve and achieving our vision to be a national leader for excellence in patient care."

"The most exciting thing about this project is that it's giving us an opportunity to not only create an incredible healing environment for our patients and families but also an incredible caring environment for our patient care teams," said Marsha Prater, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for Memorial Health System. "This will enable caregivers to be their best and provide the best care possible for the patients we serve."

[to top of second column]

"This expansion project not only meets the needs we have now, but it will also prepare us for the future," said Doug Rahn, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Memorial Health System. "In the context of how we are preparing for future generations, this is a tremendous responsibility."

J. Kevin Dorsey, dean and provost for Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, also spoke during the ceremony.

"We're very excited for the construction of this facility, which will allow all health care providers to advance their knowledge, their understanding and their ability to deliver high-quality care," Dorsey said.

For up-to-date information about the project, visit AdvancingCareByDesign.com and sign up there if desired for email messages with the latest developments, or call the Advancing Care by Design information line at 217-588-2109 for weekly updates about construction activity.

[Text from file received from Memorial Medical Center]

< Recent articles

Back to top


 

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law & Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health & Fitness | Teen Scene
Calendar | Letters to the Editor