A topping-out ceremony was held Sept. 22 at the site of the new Phelps Health emergency department addition in Rolla, Mo. | Photo Credit: McCarthy Building Companies
- Phelps Health and McCarthy Building Companies marked completion of the emergency department addition’s steel framework Sept. 22 in Rolla, Mo.
- The department will nearly double the size of the existing emergency department, with 32 treatment beds, observation rooms, larger behavioral health spaces and on-site imaging.
- The project includes 40,000 square feet of shell space for future needs. Concrete slabs and facade work are next.
ROLLA, Mo. — Construction of Phelps Health’s expanded emergency department advanced Sept. 22 as McCarthy Building Companies placed the project’s final structural beam, completing the steel framework for the addition and renovation.
Planned at 38,000 square feet, the $60 million project will nearly double the size of the existing emergency department. The expansion will have 32 treatment beds, observation rooms and larger spaces for behavioral health care. Alongside the additional treatment space, the department will add on-site imaging services, including CT, radiology and ultrasound.
For longer-term needs, the construction scope includes another 40,000 square feet of shell space. Phelps Health will be able to customize that area in the future as the needs of patients and staff change.
At the ceremony, Phelps Health leaders discussed both the community’s investment in the project and the growing regional need for emergency services. The Rolla campus, located in the Ozark Highlands, is described in McCarthy’s release as the largest rural-serving hospital in south-central Missouri.
“There is a real need for these new services in Rolla, and McCarthy is here to help build a facility with greater capacity and resources that fulfill the region’s healthcare needs,” said Tim Kehr, McCarthy’s Senior Project Manager.
The gathering included Phelps Health employees, McCarthy leaders and project personnel, subcontractors and members of the community. In addition to marking the structural milestone, the event recognized McCarthy’s steel team’s work, which involved erecting about 616 tons of steel in less than three months. Concrete slabs and the building facade are the next focus for construction crews.
Hospital staff, patients and local residents had an opportunity to sign the final beam while it was displayed in the main lobby before the ceremony. Their signatures accompanied an American flag and an evergreen tree on the beam. McCarthy described the event as a continuation of community involvement dating to the project’s September 2025 groundbreaking.
This article is based on a press release from McCarthy Building Companies, dated Sept. 25, 2026.