Hospital Construction to Mark Milestone
08/16/2018
ST. LOUIS (Aug. 16, 2018) -- Members of the SLU and SSM Health communities will join together today to celebrate a milestone in the construction of SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. The final 31-foot-long steel beam will be raised to finish the skeleton of the hospital tower in a topping off ceremony at 11 a.m.
The event is open to the public. Viewers can watch the festivities from the medical school lawn along South Grand. The event also will be shown live in the SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital cafeteria, where lunch will be served. For those who choose to watch remotely, the event will be streamed online through or (click the teal blue button).
Thousands of SLUCare and SSM Health employees as well as community leaders signed the beam, which will be hoisted into place. The ceremony will include brief remarks by SLU President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.; Robert M. Heaney, M.D., SLUCare Physician Group CEO; and Candace Jennings, SSM Health St. Louis region president. Christopher Collins, S.J., SLU鈥檚 assistant to the president for Mission and Identity, will offer a blessing.
鈥淒octors, staff and students at Saint Louis University and SLUCare Physician Group are delighted to mark this step in the construction of our new hospital,鈥� Heaney said. 鈥淭ogether with SSM Health St. Louis, we look forward to caring for patients, training doctors and researching novel treatments in our new facility.鈥�
鈥淲e are truly excited about the progress that has been made on the new SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and ambulatory care center,鈥� Jennings added.
鈥淭his ceremony celebrates a significant milestone in our partnership with Saint Louis University and our community as we continue to work toward our mission of exceptional care for all that enter our doors.鈥�
The new $550 million SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and ambulatory care center features more than 800,000 square feet of space, 316 private patient rooms, an expanded Level I trauma center and emergency department, larger intensive care units, expanded patient parking, green space and areas for future campus expansion.
It will be located on 15 acres adjacent to the current facility off Grand Boulevard between Rutger and Lasalle streets. The project has logged over 250,000 workforce construction hours, and is expected to reach a peak workforce team of more than 600. Alberici Constructors Inc. is the project鈥檚 construction manager.
The new hospital is scheduled to open September 2020.