Essentia Health announced it will add ICU-capable rooms in its new St. Mary’s Medical Center that is under construction. During planning for the Vision Northland project, contractors and leaders from Essentia opted to leave the 17th floor empty. The idea was to ensure the organization had the flexibility to meet ever-changing healthcare needs and allow for new technologies that enable patient care. With the strain the pandemic has put on existing infrastructure, the facility will now build out the 17th floor and make it ICU-ready. 

The build-out of this space, which is estimated to take six to eight weeks, was approved by the Essentia Health Board of Directors. The work will not delay the timeline for the project. Construction is still expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2023, with plans to start providing patient care during the third quarter of 2023. 

The build-out will add 32 rooms, bringing the total to 342 single-patient rooms in the replacement St. Mary’s Medical Center. There will be one double-occupancy room in the neonatal intensive care unit designed for twins.