Memorial Hospital gives timeline for 10-story, $232 million patient tower in South Bend

SOUTH BEND — Demolition will begin in September for Memorial Hospital's new 10-story patient tower on the north side of downtown South Bend, according to a formal announcement Wednesday by owner Beacon Health System.

Details released Wednesday of a $232 million patient tower and planned renovations to existing areas in the hospital were first reported by The Tribune in October. The expansion is to be completed by March 2026, Beacon said.

“This is the largest single investment in the history of Beacon Health System," Memorial Hospital President Larry Tracy told the Tribune Wednesday. "Memorial Hospital has been here in excess of 100 years, and there’s never been a single investment of this magnitude.”

Walsh Construction will begin excavating and building a foundation in March 2023, with structural steel to be erected by August of next year. A full construction timeline is available at a website the hospital created to provide updates.

The new tower promises to redefine the city's skyline while introducing 53 more patient beds, an estimated 500 new jobs and a community economic impact of $400 million, according to an analysis conducted by the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Tracy said the tower will stand in an unused space tucked behind the Bartlett Parking Garage that used to serve as a loading dock. Seven floors will be added atop the three-floor Memorial Leighton Heart and Vascular Center on Michigan Street.

"These projects fill in the missing blanks and reconnect the hospital campus to the rest of downtown," South Bend Mayor James Mueller told the Tribune in October.

The announcement made no mention of plans for a $60 million "Integrative Health and Lifestyle District" just south of the hospital that it outlined in an application for state money, according to previous Tribune reporting.

Beacon proposed that project would include 145 apartments, a health club, a 125-room hotel, 35,000 square feet of office and retail space, and parking for 1,200 vehicles.

Tracy said those plans are in the works but haven't been thoroughly vetted and presented to Memorial's board of directors.

He said action is delayed until the hospital knows how much money will be granted to Beacon through Indiana's Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative. The hospital applied for money from the state in October to aid in covering the combined $300 million cost of both new projects.

After the new tower is built, Memorial Hospital will have 302 adult beds, 54 of which are to be used for intensive care. Patient room sizes will be 50% larger. Additional changes will entail more natural light and new outdoor spaces for patients, visitors and staff.

The project is in response to a lack of critical care beds in the state, according to a statement from Sarah Paturalski, vice president of Nursing and Patient Care Services.

Memorial Hospital is the regional referral center for nearly 30 surrounding counties, she said. It offers the only Level II Trauma Center within 90 miles, as well as the only children's hospital, pediatric ICU and air-medical transport in the region.

Data examined by the hospital starting in 2019 indicated "that our inpatient facility wasn't going to be able to meet the needs" of an aging population with more acute health issues, Tracy said.

Renovations are already underway in preparation for the new patient tower, according to the announcement.

The energy center, which controls mechanical systems infrastructure, is being expanded and will be finished in January. Tracy said a pandemic-induced innovation will be two full floors housing 64 beds that can be switched in a matter of minutes to negative airflow, which keeps airborne particles inside of hospital rooms.

The sixth floor will also be remodeled by next spring. A new central elevator bank will provide access to nearly every level of the hospital and make it easier for families and patients to navigate the facility.

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jordantsmith09

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Memorial Hospital shares timeline for 10-story, $232M patient tower