SSM St. Mary's Health Center in St. Louis plans to overhaul its main entranceway as part of $7 million in upgrades planned in 2010.
The health center's "streetscape" project kicked off this week with the start of demolition of a vacant, six-story building on the hospital's campus. The demolition is expected to be completed June 1.
SSM St. Mary's is part of SSM Health Care-St. Louis. SSM Health includes seven hospitals, a managed care organization and a physicians' organization with 150 physicians in three medical groups.
William Jennings, St. Mary's president, said a larger emergency room reception area and expanded private patient rooms are planned this year in addition to the exterior upgrades.
"This is about creating the best possible experience for our patients and visitors from the moment they enter our campus," he said. "St. Mary's is largely a brand new hospital on the inside, and we want the outside to match."
Jennings said the facelift complements already-completed extensive interior renovations, including an expanded emergency room with a dedicated chest pain center, private patient rooms and new cardiac catheterization, endoscopy and imaging equipment.
While plans for the new entrance aren't final, improvements being considered are an enlarged and covered welcome area for patient and visitor arrival, direct access to parking in the main garage, more green space and the use of water features.