St. Thomas Medical Center ground breaking held on Wednesday
On Wednesday at 7 a.m. a ground-breaking ceremony took place at 13th & Bartley Street on the hill overlooking the City of Jasper. After remarks were made by Dr. Dan Eby, Dr. Don Vennekotter and Ray Snowden, and a blessing was given by Fr. John Boeglin, several surgeons and hospital representatives picked up gold-colored shovels and “broke ground” at the site of the new St. Thomas Medical Center.
When construction is complete in approximately 15 months, St. Thomas Medical Center will hold office space for building owner Dr. Dan Eby, orthopedic surgeon, as well as Memorial Hospital’s new Outpatient Surgery Center and Imaging Suite. A chapel is also included in the design as is additional medical office space to be utilized in the future.
During his remarks, Dr. Eby said, “The St. Thomas Medical Center will further strengthen our ability for providing great medical care in southern Indiana. From the beginning, this project has been patient-centered and focused on giving optimum surgery care and state-of-the-art orthopedic care. The building is designed to provide easy access on both levels for patients coming to the Outpatient Surgery Center, my orthopedic office and therapy suite, as well as the Imaging Center and other medical offices.”
Dr. Eby spoke highly of the partnership with the hospital and other physicians on this project. He noted, “I am excited to invest in the community that has supported me so well. It is most exciting to feel the enhanced synergy with Memorial Hospital and our group of physicians on this project.”
The 53,000 sq. ft. medical building has been designed by CSO Architects and BSA LifeStructures, both of Indianapolis. The building will be constructed on the hillside with the lower level entrance on the southeast side, and upper level access on the north and west sides. Dr. Eby’s medical office and physical therapy clinic, as well as office space for additional physicians, will be located on the upper level.
On the lower level, Memorial Hospital will have the new Memorial Outpatient Surgery Center as well as an Imaging Suite. The Surgery Center will include four operating suites to be utilized for procedures that are routinely performed on an outpatient/same-day-surgery basis. The Imaging Suite will house a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit with an “open” design rather than the traditional tunnel-like or “closed” model.
Ray Snowden, President and CEO of Memorial Hospital, commented on the hospital’s plans for the new Outpatient Surgery Center. He said, “Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in Memorial Hospital’s history as we break ground at the site of what is to become Memorial Outpatient Surgery Center. Since the first outpatient surgery center was established in Phoenix over forty years ago, hospitals and physicians have been partnering together to provide firstclass, outpatient surgery in convenient, efficient and easily accessible settings. We are excited to be in a position now to partner with our local surgeons to bring this surgery center to our patients.”
Seufert Construction is responsible for site construction and tenant finish improvements; and Wurster Construction will be constructing the building core and shell as well as the outpatient surgery center space. The building’s façade will consist predominately of glass, brick masonry and architectural panel accents; and green building standards will be utilized throughout the core and shell of the structure.
