Memorial Hospital North on the north side of Colorado Springs is getting a major expansion, thanks to a $407 million investment from UCHealth.
Work will include nearly 330,000 square feet of new construction, which also factors in projected future growth and need.
In the five fiscal years from 2019 through 2024, UCHealth says inpatient admission increased by 31 percent, visits to the emergency department by 25 percent and the number of surgeries grew by 53 percent. This is the second major expansion since the community hospital opened in 2007.
"Memorial Hospital North has been operating at or near capacity for the past several years," said Lonnie Cramer, president and CEO of UCHealth Memorial Hospital, in a statement.
Expansion plans include a new six-story inpatient tower that will increase bed capacity by 50, with room to expand even further. Plans also include a dozen more emergency department exam rooms, an expanded kitchen and a six-level parking garage.
Work is expected to begin on the parking garage next year with an estimated completion by 2027. The hospital anticipates work on the patient tower to be completed by 2029.
