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By 2020, the campus of Johnson Memorial Hospital in Franklin will be larger and have a new look after a $42 million project.
The county-owned hospital is replacing the original hospital building built in 1947 with a new emergency and outpatient services facility. And on the other end of the campus, a new rehabilitation center is being built.
The project is the largest in the hospital’s history.
Construction is set to begin next year, and finish by 2020, according to a news release from Johnson Memorial Health.
The project is the result of a years-long feasibility study that considered capacity and safety issues and the county’s projected growth, the release said.
The newly announced construction project comes after the health system began work to build new physicians offices in Whiteland and Greenwood.
One of the reasons for the campus project is the number of patients who spend night in the hospital, which continues to decline, the news release said.
The new facilities will allow Johnson Memorial to adapt to changes in the health care system, and meet the needs of the community, the release said.
In addition, replacing the original hospital building will also save on utility costs, the release said.
The new emergency department will be 17,400 square feet and another 33,000 square feet will be added for outpatient services, such as radiology, laboratory and wellness activities, the release said.
And the new 20,400-square-foot rehabilitation center will offer physical, occupational, speech and rehabilitation therapies, as well as orthopedic care, the release said.
<em>The story will be updated.</em>
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