(NORTH PLATTE) A fantastic new addition to the Great Plains Regional Medical Center (GPRMC) is on the way! The new building is aimed at Modernizing the facility to enhance the patients experience by providing private rooms for each patient thus creating more space for family members. Also the new plans will install new efficiencies for staff and patients, reducing travel between buildings, and allowing more privacy for patients.

The new building will incorporate a design with redundancy  to create the efficiencies. Areas such as Intensive Care, Women’s & Children s area, and the Medical/ Surgical department  have capacity increasing design, also featuring a new parking lot to be finished by November/December.

The total investment of this project lands at approximately $100 Million dollars primarily funded through bonds, to bring to the GPRMC an additional 210,000 square feet of new space, a five story inpatient tower to provide 116 private rooms and additional space for families, a new lobby, new kitchen and cafeteria, conference center, new sleep lab, updated cardiac and pulmonary equipment, information technology addition and a new central Utility Plant.

Construction began in July 2012 for the new Information technology addition. The completion date of the patient tower is expected to be in the Spring/Summer of 2015.

Hospital Board Chair David Pederson says in a statement:

“What is being presented here today is by far the largest locally owned undertaking in the history of this region. “

GPRMC wants to take advantage of the beautiful state of Nebraska by adding features that make the beautiful skies of the state shine, as well as other features to integrate into the design like the sand-hills and with the tower design there will be more natural light shining through. The landscape will also feature a healing garden .

Additionally all services will continue throughout the construction. A high priority will be placed on directional flow of patients and providing parking for visitors and patients. A new temporary main entrance will be located east of the current entrance. A temporary entrance for Same Day Services and Cardiology will be located just south of the ER entrance and the temporary main entrance will include patient registration, information desk and gift shop.