SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
After receiving state approval on Wednesday, Huntsville Hospital has greenlit a $150 million expansion project that will enhance patient care and capacity. The Alabama Certificate of Need Review Board approved the initiative, which includes additional beds, private rooms, and two new intensive care units, to address the growing needs of the community.
“We’re excited to move forward with this expansion, which will not only reduce Emergency Department wait times but also eliminate double-occupancy rooms at Huntsville Hospital,” said CEO Jeff Samz. “No one wants to share a hospital room, and now we can end this practice once and for all.”
The project will add 50 patient beds, bringing the hospital’s total to 931 at its Madison Street Tower, and convert 70 double rooms into private rooms. In addition, five new floors will be added to the hospital’s existing emergency room building, a project that will create 350 new jobs.
“This expansion will help us better meet the advanced healthcare needs of North Alabama and southern Tennessee for years to come,” Samz added.
The $150 million project, slated for completion over two years, will also add 154,000 square feet of space at the hospital’s northeast corner, facing Madison Street and St. Clair Avenue. The expansion includes:
*A new Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit
*A new Neuro Intensive Care Unit for neurosurgical and stroke patients
*Three additional floors of acute medical space
*120 new private patient rooms
*A new, upgraded Emergency Department vehicle entrance
Burr Ingram, the hospital’s vice president of communications and marketing, cited the area’s population growth as a key factor driving the expansion. “The increase in the local population, combined with the high census we’re experiencing, makes this expansion crucial,” he said.
The project is also expected to provide a significant boost to the local economy. Huntsville Hospital’s Madison Street Tower was built in 2008, and the upcoming five-floor expansion will provide new facilities, including a state-of-the-art cardio-thoracic ICU, supported by a record-breaking $10 million donation. Additionally, a new neuro-science intensive care unit will serve patients from across the Tennessee Valley.
As the region’s Level One trauma center, the hospital’s Emergency Department plays a crucial role in treating trauma, heart attack, and stroke patients. Samz emphasized that the expansion will improve patient flow and enable the hospital to accept transfers from regional facilities more efficiently.
Architects Chapman-Sisson and contractor Robins & Morton will lead the design and construction, with Robins & Morton having worked on several previous hospital projects.