Fairfield Memorial Hospital hosted the official Groundbreaking Ceremony on the site of the upcoming $19 million dollar expansion project on November 20, 2019.
On behalf of the FMH Board of Directors, FMH CEO Katherine Bunting-Williams began the event by greeting a crowd of more than 150 people and thanking them for joining FMH on this beautiful, brisk morning. She then introduced retired Board member Dale Warren who gave the blessing for the event. Dr. Bunting-Williams then spoke about the project and she recognized the many different groups and individuals that have been instrumental in making this project a reality. She spoke about how this project is not just about buildings but that it is about people. Special thanks were given to USDA, First Financial Bank, and Wayne White Electric Cooperative for helping to finance this project; Haskell Company, the Design-Build firm for this project for their expertise and support in developing plans for this project; and IDPH for approving our plans for the project. Also recognized were the FMH Foundation for their support and upcoming capital campaign that they will be organizing; the City of Fairfield for their assistance; FMH Auxiliary; FMH Medical Staff – past, current, and future; employees of FMH; and most importantly the community at large for their unwavering support of Fairfield Memorial Hospital over the last 70 years.
The expansion project will consist of a three story addition to the existing hospital building. The first floor of the new addition will house a new, larger Emergency Department; a new Urgent Care Department; additional OR suites and an expanded Same Day Surgery Unit. The 2nd floor of the addition will house physician office space, along with a Radiology Unit for the clinic patients. These offices will be used for current specialists and the additional specialists who will be joining the Fairfield Memorial Hospital staff in the next 1-3 years. The third floor of this addition will house a brand new 30 bed Skilled Care Unit. This will result in an additional 71,405 additional square feet.
“The scope, scale, and size of this project are significant, but it is about fulfilling Fairfield Memorial Hospital’s mission to improve the health of the people and communities we serve. At Fairfield Memorial Hospital, we care deeply about our patients and our community. Working in healthcare is not just a job for us, it is a calling.” commented FMH CEO Katherine Bunting-Williams.
