Sarah Bush Lincoln received a green light today from the state to move forward with its new Heart Center and the addition of 20 medical surgical beds to the hospital.
The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board approved Sarah Bush Lincoln’s Certificate of Need application on July 29. Work on the expansion project will begin in the fall.
In a letter to Sarah Bush Lincoln, the board stated that it adopted the State Board staff’s report and findings that found that Sarah Bush Lincoln successfully met all 24 criteria for this project and there was no opposition to it. A dozen community residents voiced their support of this project in letters to the board.
“We’re thrilled with the Board’s decision and we are confident that this project will address the cardiovascular needs of our community and give use some much-needed additional beds,” Director of Planning Erica Stollard said.
The addition, which is planned for the southeast side of the Health Center, will span 65,235 square feet. The ground floor will house staff office space, Facility and Environmental Services, and mechanical rooms. The first floor will consolidate cardiac services including the addition of a second cardiac cath lab, 15 exam rooms for the cardiac and pulmonary clinic, rehab gym, stress testing, echo cardiography, pulmonary function testing, EKG, and nuclear medicine. The second floor will house 21 additional medical surgical rooms, however, an existing bed will be lost due to construction. The entire addition will be connected to each adjacent floor of the Health Center, including a new elevator going to the third and fourth floors.
Stollard explained that through a partnership with Prairie Heart Institute of Illinois, the volume of cardiology services has grown greatly in the last few years. While in calendar year 13, SBL performed 514 cardiac cath cases, it had grown to 889 in calendar 15. The cath lab performs diagnostic and interventional cases. Interventional Cardiologist Amit Dande, MD, Cardiologist Thomas Cahill, MD, and Allison Gough, APN, currently staff The Heart Center. A third cardiologist, Michael LaMonto, DO, will be joining The Heart Center to provide invasive cardiology in the fall.
Sarah Bush Lincoln has also experienced inpatient growth as well, growing from 3,989 inpatients medical surgical admissions in calendar year 13 to 4,911 in calendar year 15. At the same time the average daily census grew from 53.6 to 61.2. The Medical Surgical beds are used to care for adults post surgery and for people with general illnesses such as pneumonia and congestive heart failure.
The total cost of the project is $31,184,013 and will be financed through a bond issuance, cash, pledges and gifts. It is slated to be complete by December 2019.
The addition will feature a drive up canopied entrance with a glass and metal façade on the west side and brick on the south and east sides.