Vanderbilt University Medical Center unveiled plans July 25 for its first major addition since 2009 and largest expansion to date: a 15-level inpatient tower slated for completion in 2027.
The new tower, to be named the Link Building, will be constructed atop an existing parking structure on the Nashville hospital's campus. The Link Building, depending on its final configuration, will add approximately 180 inpatient beds along with 10 operating rooms, radiology services, multiple specialty clinics, a spacious lobby and new administrative office space.
The system notes that VUMC currently operates at more than 90 percent capacity most of the year. Once complete, it will expand VUMC's patient capacity by nearly 25 percent, with the first additional beds becoming available in 2024.
The Tennessean reports the project is expected to cost at least $500 million.
"Prior to 2020, our health system was already experiencing the need for additional capacity to care for critically ill adult patients," Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, president and CEO for VUMC and dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said in a system news release. "The unprecedented demand placed on our people and facilities during the pandemic underscored the strategic importance for this new facility."