Welcome to 2505 Mission Drive.
The new St. Mary's Health Center facility, which recently received an address, hosted one of its first community group tours at the unfinished Jefferson City site Thursday morning. Members of Cole County communities arrived early in sub-zero temperatures to get an inside look at the $200 million hospital, which is expected to open in November.
Tony Houston, chief operating officer of St. Mary's, said the project is the last in a series of redevelopment projects throughout St. Mary's parent company, SSM Health Care, that cost $800 million to $1 billion. The new 360,000-square-foot facility will feature a larger emergency room and all private patient rooms, as well as a "healing garden" that will feature a Stella Maris statue currently being designed and crafted in Italy.
Beverly Stafford, director of the St. Mary's Foundation and community relations, said the new building will be 40 percent larger than the current hospital on Missouri Boulevard.
"It'll be impressive," Stafford said. "This is life-saving design."
Tim Gunn, construction project director with Alberici Healthcare Constructors, said the project has employed more than 370 people with more than 70 subcontractors, and 71 percent of all work hours have been local.
The tour group spent about an hour going through various areas of the unfinished hospital, including where seven operating rooms will be located, outpatient services, emergency rooms and patient rooms, each of which are private and include a sleeper sofa.
As the Nov. 16 move-in date nears, Stafford said more tours will be given to various community groups and media. She said the goal of the tours is to get the community engaged and excited, as well as to allow understanding of the design and need for the facility.
"We've been part of this community, the fabric of this community, for 108 years," Stafford said.
And with the new hospital, she hopes they will continue for another 100 years.