Bryan Davis, Orange Park Medical Center director of facilities; Kasia Walosik, cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and chief of staff; Mike Nordness, COO; and Jeff Nordstrom, Charles Perry Partners, on the roof of the patient tower.
An admitting bay on the first floor of the tower.
What will become shell space on the second floor of the building.
A view over the side of the second floor. The patient tower will be connected to the existing hospital, adjacent to the main entrance.
Shell space on the third floor of the hospital, which eventually will house 24 beds.
Workers install air ducts on the roof of the building.
A view of the patient tower from the parking lot. The crane tops out at 178 feet.
Construction continues on the hospital's dining area, which is also part of the $126 million expansion.
Orange Park Medical Center is making progress on its $62 million patient tower, which is part of a $126 million expansion project across its campus.
Construction on the project began in the fall. On Jan. 22, the five-floor skeleton was up, and the first floor was being shelled out.
Initially, the building will add 48 beds to the hospital. The top two floors of the building will open first, each with 24 beds. The two remaining floors will be built-out as shell space to open later on.
Chief Operating Officer Mike Nordness said there was no definite timeline on when that would happen, but “it won’t be long,” he said during a tour of the facility Jan. 22.
The ground floor will add six admitting bays to increase capacity and the speed at which patients can be checked in. Those primarily will be used for outpatients or for those coming to the hospital for shorter periods of time. There also will be exam rooms and office space on the ground floor.
The addition will bring Orange Park Medical Center’s bed count to 365. About 100 jobs will be added to staff the patient tower.
In addition to the patient tower, construction is underway on a new dining area and medical office building. The center has completed its neonatal intensive care unit and electrophysiology lab as part of the $126 million expansion.
“It is perfect timing for how this community is growing,” Nordness said. “We're essentially growing with it.”
