Hospital tower tops out
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Construction at Huntsville Hospital's $150-million Madison Street Tower has reached its tallest point, a construction milestone known in the industry as a topping out.
Why it matters: The addition will eliminate all semi-private rooms in the system, and officials expect the added beds to ease pressure on the hospital's Emergency Department.
Catch up quick: Set to open in 2027, the addition will add 154,000 square feet and 120 new private patient rooms.
- It will add a Neuro Intensive Care Unit and Cardiothoracic ICU, made possible by an anonymous $10 million gift, the hospital's largest private donation ever.
- It brings Huntsville Hospital's total bed count to 931 from the current 881.
What they're saying: "If you've lived here long, you know why we're making this investment," Jeff Samz, president and CEO of Huntsville Hospital said.
- "Our community is growing at a phenomenal pace. ... It is incumbent on us as the region's health care leader to make the investments to keep up with growth."
Zoom in: This quarter, construction continues on the concrete structure and steel erection, Robins & Morton spokesperson Rachael Farr tells Axios.
- It's a vertical expansion being constructed atop a working hospital tower, she notes, and the team is testing an autonomous robot to perform interior layout, on site till February.
Zoom out: The addition joins other construction efforts underway by Huntsville Hospital, including two freestanding emergency departments in Hampton Cove and North Huntsville.
The bottom line: The region is growing fast, and the Huntsville Hospital system has to grow with it.