New facility on schedule to open on September 1, 2020
Today, the steel structure of the new $550 million SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital reached new heights after the final steel beam was raised to finish the hospital tower. The 31-foot-long steel beam received thousands of signatures from staff of SSM Health SLU Hospital and SLUCare Physician Group as well as community leaders for weeks before Alberici construction teams raised it to the top of the structure.
The new $550 million SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and ambulatory care center features more than 800,000 square feet of space, 316 private patient rooms, an expanded Level I trauma center and emergency department, larger intensive care units, expanded patient parking, green space and areas for future campus expansion.
Employees of SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and SLUCare Physician Group celebrated the accomplishment with a brief ceremony and lunch celebration. Physicians, leaders, employees, and community members watched the final beam be secured in place on the hospital tower marking the next stage in construction, exterior envelope development and interior development.
“We are truly excited about the progress that has been made on the new SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and ambulatory care center,” said Candace Jennings, Region President, SSM Health St. Louis. “This ceremony celebrates a significant milestone in our partnership with Saint Louis University and our community as we continue to work toward our Mission of exceptional care for all that enter our doors.”
The new SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital academic medical campus will be located on 15 acres adjacent to the current facility off Grand Boulevard between Rutger and Lasalle streets. The project has logged over 250,000 workforce construction hours, and is expected to reach a peak workforce team of more than 600.
“Doctors, staff and students at Saint Louis University and SLUCare Physician Group are delighted to mark this step in the construction of our new hospital,” said Robert M. Heaney, M.D., CEO, SLUCare Physician Group. “Together with SSM Health St. Louis, we look forward to caring for patients, training doctors and researching novel treatments in our new facility.”
The new academic medical center will continue to focus on high-acuity patients, cardiovascular care, oncology, stroke, transplant and trauma.
The project is part of a commitment made by former SSM Health President/CEO William P. Thompson on the first day the organization assumed ownership of the hospital, Sept. 1, 2015. He announced an ambitious five-year plan to construct a new hospital and ambulatory care center that incorporates national best practices in patient-centered design while delivering an improved patient experience.
SSM Health (www.ssmhealth.com) is a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving the comprehensive health needs of communities across the Midwest through one of the largest integrated delivery systems in the nation.
SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital is a 356-bed quaternary and tertiary hospital specializing in organ transplants and home of the Mid-America Stroke Network. A teaching hospital, SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital is home to SLUCare physicians and students of Saint Louis University Medical School. An ACS Level I trauma center for both Missouri and Illinois, Saint Louis University Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission and designated as a Primary Stroke Center.
For more information, visit us at ssmhealth.com/sluhospital or find us on Facebook and Twitter
Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers nearly 13,000 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.For more information, visit us atwww.slu.edu or find us on Facebook and Twitter.
SLUCare Physician Group is the academic medical practice of Saint Louis University, with more than 500 health care providers and 1,200 staff members in hospitals and medical offices throughout the St. Louis region. SLUCare physicians are among the most highly trained in their fields — more than 50 specialties in all — and are national and international experts, renowned for research and innovations in medicine. For more information, visit www.slucare.edu.
