San Francisco-based Dignity Health held a March 11 groundbreaking for the building phase of its $350 million renovation of Mercy Hospital in Bakersfield, Calif.
The project, which includes a new 106-bed patient tower, is slated for completion in 2024, according to a Dignity Health news release. It will allow for more patient volume and expanded cardiology, neurosurgery, oncology, orthopedics and women's services. The area around the hospital is expected to grow by 7 percent in the next five years, according to Dignity.
The project also includes a 24-room intensive care unit, 18 private neonatal intensive care unit rooms, cardiac catheterization suites, expanded neurosurgery capabilities, six operating rooms, specialized oncology and orthopedic units, an expanded emergency department and additional parking.
"Part of our mission is to help improve the health of the people we serve, especially the vulnerable," said Hemmal Kothary, MD, interim president/CEO and chief medical officer of Mercy Hospitals Bakersfield. "This expansion project at Mercy Hospital Southwest is monumental and will allow us to serve more patients and provide the best possible care in the safest manner."