Rochester, N.Y.-based Strong Memorial Hospital is undergoing a $640 million expansion that will add more than 650,000 square feet of hospital space, ABC affiliate WHAM reported Jan. 11.
The project will add more than 100 private inpatient rooms and expand clinical space.
Strong Memorial's emergency department, the region's only level 1 trauma center, saw more than 110,000 patient visits in a space designed to serve less than half of that annual patient volume, according to the report. To address capacity challenges, the renovated emergency department will span 175,000 square feet with more space for patients and providers.
A patient tower is also being developed, and will primarily be used for intensive care units and inpatient rooms for cardiovascular care.
"The end goal is actually a nine-story building," Van Yannas, director of special projects at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told WHAM. "So we will have an ED on the lower portion and a five-story inpatient building on top."
Construction is expected to be completed by 2027.