Methodist North Hospital has completed a $1.8 million expansion that helps fulfill Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare’s mission to serve the northern Shelby County community.
The expansion and renovation is centered on a new 4,300-square-foot lobby that includes a new information and admissions desk, upgraded restrooms, a gift shop and administrative offices. The outdoor space of the hospital also has been updated with sustainable green space and a new pick-up and drop-off area.
Jonathan Watkins, Chief Operating Officer of Methodist North, said the project is the culmination of a five-year process to modernize the facility that began in 2010 and covered one floor per year, beginning with the fifth and working down. Roughly $1.5 million in work was completed each year.
“The facility is 40 years old and needed an update,” Watkins said. “Not only does this provide a better feeling for patients but it helps us take away the stigma that we’re a small facility. We have the busiest emergency department in the region. We expect 72,000 patients this year. We want patients entering to feel like they are entering a major medical facility.”
The hospital-wide construction has included new flooring, bathrooms and just a general modernization of each floor. This year’s work included adding a covered entrance and better lighting.
Future work that Watkins said should begin in 2016 will include addressing the corridors of the facility so they all match the upgrades throughout the hospital.
Watkins said it was important to show the Bartlett, Millington, Raleigh and Tipton County areas that the hospital is invested in the community.
“We want the community to know that Methodist has been here for 40 years and we want to stay well beyond another 40 years,” he said. “We have no intention of abandoning the residents. We want them to know we‘re a place for the community to choose for service.”
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