Photo: The UCHealth LifeLine landing signaled the opening of several newly completed components of the hospital’s multi-phase expansion, which includes upgraded surgical and recovery facilities, expanded emergency services, and additional birth center capacity. | Photo Credit: UCHealth
By Lindsey Coulter
At a Glance:
- Campus Expansion: The project adds 89,000 square feet to the hospital, significantly increasing space for surgical, maternity and emergency care.
- Phased Buildout: Construction began in 2023 and includes completed, in-progress and planned elements through 2026.
- Helipad Installation: A new rooftop helipad enhances emergency response and air transport capabilities.
- Infrastructure Upgrades: Includes an expanded central utility plant, new sterile processing department, and infill construction for dining and kitchen space.
- Team of Partners: Led by McCarthy Building Companies, the project includes contributions from design and trade firms such as Page, Cator Ruma, Walter P Moore and more than a dozen specialty contractors.
LONGMONT, Colo. — UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont, Colo., marked a major milestone in its ongoing expansion with the first official landing of a medical helicopter on its newly constructed rooftop helipad.
The UCHealth LifeLine landing signaled the opening of several newly completed components of the hospital’s multi-phase expansion, which includes upgraded surgical and recovery facilities, expanded emergency services, and additional birth center capacity.
Hospital leaders, project planners and construction partners gathered to witness the landing and celebrate the progress made on the expansion, which aims to address the increasing health care demands of Longmont and surrounding areas.
“This expansion is about more than bricks and mortar—it’s about constantly enhancing the care we provide and improving the patient experience,” said Ryan Rohman, president of UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital, in a statement. “We are proud to continue growing alongside the community we serve.”
The expansion broke ground in 2023 and adds 89,000 square feet to the hospital’s campus. Originally opened in 2017 with 51 beds, Longs Peak Hospital has expanded to 86 beds, with additional progressive care and acute care beds scheduled to open in the coming year.
Recently completed components of the project include two operating rooms, nine pre- and post-anesthesia care bays, three labor, delivery and recovery rooms, and one C-section room. The hospital also unveiled an expanded emergency department with seven exam rooms and three Fast Track rooms, a new sterile processing department, and an infilled courtyard housing a new kitchen and dining room.
Additional upgrades include a renovated and expanded pharmacy, a new laboratory, an expanded central utility plant, and shelled space to allow for future operating room growth.
“The first landing on the new helipad is just one of the many milestones of this project to celebrate,” said Joe Brunsman, senior vice president of operations at McCarthy Building Companies, the project’s general contractor. “As the Longmont community grows, McCarthy is very proud and privileged to have had the opportunity to partner with UCHealth and play a small part in the enhanced care Longs Peak will provide new mothers and patients alike in the new and expanded facilities.”
Later this year, the hospital will complete a renovated respiratory clinic. In 2026, Longs Peak is set to add nine medical-surgical inpatient rooms, ten progressive-care inpatient rooms, an electrophysiology lab, and outpatient X-ray and CT facilities.
Major design and construction partners include Page, Cator Ruma, Walter P Moore, and a range of engineering and trade specialists.
