Danbury Hospital is planning a major $150 million construction project that will add nearly 300,000 square feet of new space on the health care provider’s campus.
Calling it the largest expansion in the hospital’s 125-year history, the project will include the construction of a new patient tower that will feature a welcoming center, more private rooms, and a new emergency room able to serve 88,000 visits per year.
The project will also be an economic stimulus, creating an estimated 500 new jobs and infuse about $250 million into the local economy over the next few years, officials said.
 “We have always sought to deliver ‘a higher level of care’ in a way that positively impacts our patients and community,” said John Murphy, president of Danbury Hospital. “This project means that we will no longer be bound by space constraints and we can now make our patient-centric vision a reality. Our new model is all about elevating the quality of care, improving patient and physician access and maximizing patient privacy.”
Hospitals officials say the addition is needed because of a lack of space in Danbury Hospital’s current emergency room, which sees nearly 70,000 patient visits a years, when it is equipped to handle about 40,000 patients annually.
With the new tower, ER space will increase from 24,000 to 40,000 square feet and accommodate approximately 88,000 visits per year.
Other building amenities will include:
•·       Shell space to accommodate a modern surgical platform in the near future
•·       Three 35-bed medical /surgical floors, many of which offer single rooms
•·       A 30-bed Intensive Care Unit / Critical Care Unit
•·       A roof-top helipad
•·       Added parking with covered access to the main building
