Slidell Memorial Hospital broke ground on its surgical services and patient care tower, a three-story building addition. The tower is scheduled to be complete in 2024.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held on Nov. 14 in the gravel lot on Florida Avenue and 11th Street behind the main hospital campus. Speakers included SMH senior leaders, Board of Commissioners Chairman Joseph DiGiovanni Jr. and Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser.
The $50 million project will expand the main campus of the hospital with the construction of a new building that will house a brand-new set of operating suites, an additional intensive care unit and an additional inpatient care unit with private rooms that can be switched to negative pressure to aid in the treatment of airborne viruses. The project also includes demolition of existing structures and renovating the current operating rooms to create a surgical experience that is completely private for patients, without the need to be wheeled along public corridors to and from surgery.
Chief Executive Officer Sandy Badinger said the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the world’s dependence on healthcare. “We promised last year when we proposed a new building that would offer advanced surgical options, new ICU beds and more negative pressure rooms, that we would do our part to always care for our community – no matter what crisis comes our way. As your community hospital, we cannot say thank you enough for supporting us in our efforts to keep care local.”