Hackensack Meridian Health officially broke ground on the massive expansion at Hackensack University Medical Center on Friday, the latest step in a $700 million-plus transformation of the health care system’s main campus.
The 530,000-square-foot patient pavilion along Second Street in Hackensack will help transform the academic medical center, HMH said in a news release following the ceremony.
“With this innovative new facility, we’ve entered a new era in our ability to serve the health care needs of diverse populations throughout the region,” CEO Robert Garrett said in a prepared statement. “With support from state and local officials, as well as our team members and the community at large, we’re elevating our ability to provide patients with best-in-class health care services to continue the standard of excellence that Hackensack University Medical Center has set.”
The project is a nine-story pavilion that includes 24 new operating rooms, a 50-bed intensive care unit, 150 medical-surgical beds and more.
“New Jersey has always been a leader in delivering world-class health care services,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. “I am pleased to join Hackensack University Medical Center to celebrate this groundbreaking health care expansion project that will provide critical services to our residents and transform this hospital into one of the most prominent health care facilities in the nation.”
RSC Architects, based in Hackensack, is the lead architect on the project, in partnership with EYP Architecture & Engineering, based in Texas.
“As we start to see steel go up and watch the shell of this 530,000-square-foot building take shape, we’ll understand the magnitude of the project and appreciate the positive impact it will have on the community,” Dr. Ihor Sawczuk, regional president, Northern Market, and chief research officer, HMH, said in a statement. “You can already feel the excitement of the hospital team members, which we’re sure will become more effusive as the new pavilion comes to life.”
Stantec Consulting is providing project management services and owner’s representative services. W.M. Blanchard and Turner Construction Co. have created a joint venture to provide construction management services.
“As part of this leading-edge design, the new Second Street Pavilion and the rest of the medical center will provide an enhanced patient and family experience,” Mark Sparta, president and chief hospital executive, HUMC, and executive vice president, population health, HMH, said in a statement. “It will allow us to continue to expand our quaternary care model to provide the latest in highly specialized health care services leveraging the latest technologies.”