Colorado Springs Hospital to Double in Size by 2030
By Fay Harvey
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — UC Health has announced a $407 million project that aims to double the size of El Paso County’s Memorial Hospital North. The expansion, which encompasses almost 333,000 square feet of new construction, aims to meet the growing health care needs of the local community.
“Memorial Hospital North has been operating at or near capacity for the past several years,” said Lonnie Cramer, president and CEO of UCHealth Memorial Hospital, in a statement. “It’s obvious the community recognizes the expert care UCHealth is able to provide, and we are honored so many patients choose us as their health care provider.”
This new project follows several other major construction efforts at Memorial Hospital North in the last decade. In 2018, the facility’s emergency department expanded, and additional operating rooms were added. In 2019, the hospital completed a new center for birth, pharmacy and oncology services. Since these additions, UCHealth reports that the emergency department use rose 25% and the number of surgeries grew by 53%.
The expansion features a new six-story inpatient tower that will immediately increase hospital bed capacity from 140 to 190, with the potential to expand to 320 beds. Four new operating rooms will be added initially, with plans to add four more in the future, bringing the eventual total to 18. The project also includes the expansion of kitchen spaces and dining areas to better meet patient, visitor and staff needs. The hospital’s laboratory will receive an upgrade, and space for 12 additional emergency exam rooms is included in the plans. Additionally, the main lobby on the ground floor will be renovated to integrate the new tower.
An estimated 45% of the new space will be immediately used, with the remaining areas designated as a shelled space for future expansion, allowing UCHealth to explore possibilities of cancer research, clinical trials and innovative treatments.
“This expansion will enable us to expand our surgical specialties – such as spine and orthopedic surgeries – and offer patients access to nationally recognized specialists throughout UCHealth,” said Elizabeth B. Concordia, UCHealth president and CEO, in a statement. “The hospital’s master plan ensures the community will have the best care, close to home, for years to come.”
In addition to addressing necessary improvements and expansions to treatment areas, the project will add a new six-level, 979-stall parking garage that will be completed in 2027.
“The new services and investments we are making in health care are exciting, but improvements in patient experience and safety – such as parking – are also important,” Cramer said.
Construction on the new patient tower is slated to begin in 2026, with completion and opening projected for 2029.