Opelika-based East Alabama Health is adding three floors and 30 critical care beds to the west pavilion of its Opelika-based East Alabama Medical Center in a $32.5 million expansion project.
"This project will increase our critical care offerings and allow us additional space to grow, as needed, in the coming years," Laura Grill, president and CEO of East Alabama Health, said in a news release.
The three floors will bring a combined 67,395 square feet to the center.
They will include mechanical space on the third floor, added growth space on the fourth floor, and the 30 critical care beds on the fifth floor, which will comprise a 20-bed intensive care unit and a 10-bed interchangeable unit for step-down or intensive care patients.
The center's existing first floor houses two cardiovascular operating rooms, a cardiac rehab department and 10 cardiovascular ICU rooms. The second floor has a satellite pharmacy and 20 ICU beds.
East Alabama Health has already received a certificate of need for the project. Construction is expected to begin this summer and should be completed by late fall of 2025, with patients receiving care by early 2026.
East Alabama Health comprises East Alabama Medical Center; Valley, Ala.-based EAMC-Lanier; Opelika-based Spencer Cancer Center; the Auburn (Ala.) Medical Pavilion; and multiple medical practices and clinics. It has around 3,700 employees.