By HFT Staff

Bon Secours kicked off the construction on a vertical expansion of Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center in Chesterfield County, Virginia, in December. The nearly 179,000-square-foot renovation and expansion includes the addition of 55 acute care beds, including nine obstetrical beds, four intensive care beds, 42 medical/surgical beds, 10 observation beds and an ancillary services expansion through the renovation of existing hospital space, as well as a two-story vertical expansion. 

St. Francis’ planned expansion is a response to an increased need for inpatient beds from patients for medical, surgical, obstetrical and intensive care, stemming in part from increased complexity of inpatient services and population growth, especially growth in the population of ages 65 and older who require more inpatient care than other age groups. This expansion will help meet a growing need for the community and will increase access to the hospital’s innovative resources, outstanding clinical staff and exceptional patient care. 

This project will involve the renovation of 69,169 square feet of existing space, as well as 109,700 square feet of new construction. New construction will include a two-story expansion over the current critical care tower. This expansion will increase the hospital’s capacity to a total of 185 licensed beds and will include the following: 

• expansion of obstetrical beds from 21 to 30 beds 
• expansion of intensive care beds from 16 to 20 
• expansion of NICU from 10 open bays to 11 private rooms and three bays 
• expansion of medical/surgical services by adding 42 new medical/surgical beds 
• addition of 10 observation beds, which will allow for clinical decision care to be provided on a dedicated unit, reducing the number of observation patients occupying a licensed inpatient bed 
• expansion of pre-admission testing, which will allow Bon Secours to see additional patients more efficiently before surgery to support improved surgical outcomes 
• relocation of an open MRI to St. Francis Medical Center’s campus, which will be the only Bon Secours open MRI south of the James River 

This $108 million expansion received Certificate of Public Need (COPN) approval in 2019, and construction is expected to be complete in early 2024.