A groundbreaking celebration five years in the making brought together local and state officials, area medical professionals, contractors and project stakeholders on Thursday, September 7. Hosted by the development group, attendees heard details about the new Rock Regional Hospital planned at the northeast corner of 63rd Street and Rock Road in Derby, Kan. Development of the$41 million, 90,000 square-foot acute care hospital is expected to be complete by the end of 2018.

“Rock Regional Hospital will be a vibrant asset to Derby and the surrounding area,” said Mike Belew, Executive Vice President of Development for CBC Real Estate Group, the hospital’s developer. “With a patient-friendly, physician-centric vision, Rock Regional will be the area’s most modern healthcare center. We are honored to develop a project that will positively impact the community while redefining the way healthcare is delivered in south-central Kansas.”

A 31-licensed-bed, full-service acute care facility, Rock Regional Hospital will have 24 medical/surgical beds and seven intensive care unit beds. The facility will include four operating rooms, two procedure rooms, two heart catheterization lab rooms and six emergency department rooms. Rock Regional Hospital will anchor the Derby Regional Medical Campus, which will include a future medical office building (MOB) and an inpatient rehab hospital.

“This is a really big deal,” said Derby Mayor Randy White. “The team that is here today has made a huge investment in Derby. It’s not just a major construction project, it’s not just a service for the people of the community that everyone will enjoy and love, and it’s not only the jobs; it’s everything put together and it’s absolutely amazing.”

To signify the commencement of construction, the development team of CBC Real Estate Group (Developer), Candor Healthcare (Manager), and PartnersHealth (Operator), along with ACI Boland Architects (Architect), McCownGordon Construction (Contractor) and Catalyst Construction Group (Consultant), hosted the groundbreaking ceremony, which was followed by an informal reception.

“PartnersHealth is dedicated to empowering independent physicians to achieve the best outcomes for their patients while operating a financially sustainable facility. Rock Regional Hospital will embody these principals,” said Clem Borkowski, PartnersHealth Managing Director. He added, “We are honored to partner with CBC Real Estate Group, Candor Healthcare, ASI Healthcare Capital Partners and the local physicians to bring Derby its first full-service acute care hospital. Without the committed physician support, this facility wouldn’t be possible.”

Rock Regional Hospital is being developed by CBC Real Estate Group, a full-service development company headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. CBC has decades of experience having developed several million square feet of healthcare projects throughout the country. Along with well-known local area physicians, the hospital will be managed by Southlake, Texas-based Candor Healthcare, which has a track record of developing and managing hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Candor specializes in creating an innovative environment that encourages excellence in patient care, a culture of caring and positive patient outcomes.