Grand Island, Nebraska, community members declared their broad support of the new Grand Island Regional Hospital last week with approximately 250 people attending the groundbreaking ceremony.

The 64-bed hospital, which is being designed by HDR, represents a culmination of years of planning to create a facility that focuses on the community and the healthcare needs of the region. The new four-story, 174,000-square-foot full-service community hospital is about caring for patients, supporting the community and connecting with our neighbors, said Dr. Ryan Crouch of Grand Island Hospital Holding LLC, a consortium of local physicians and community partners.

The hospital and contingent development will become a significant new gateway for Grand Island with significant economic benefits. A cost-benefit analysis prepared by the University of Nebraska at Kearney and reported by the Grand Island Independent estimates that the construction phase will create about $153 million in economic activity; generate about $260,000 in local sales tax and support; and 1,023 regional jobs. The ongoing operation of the new facilities will add an additional $145 million in economic activity and $250,000 in annual local sales tax. It will support approximately 1,054 jobs in the area going forward, including nearly 300 hospital jobs.

Services offered will include emergency care, surgery, labor and delivery, imaging and diagnostics (radiation, fluoroscopy, MRI, CT, nuclear medicine, mammography, ultrasound), endoscopy, interventional procedures, a cath lab and a pharmacy.

Construction on the hospital is expected to be completed in October 2019, and to serve patients beginning in 2020.