Providence plans new building in expansion to begin next year

Providence executives said they will remodel 100,789 square feet of existing space and build a new 85,782-square-foot building.

The hospital hopes to begin construction in January 2011 and complete it in 2014. However, it must first get a certificate from the state, a process that could take several months.

Hospital officials described it as the biggest expansion to the core hospital since the 1990s, when Providence spent more than $100 million on renovations and additions.

More recently, Providence built a cancer center for about $79 million and two adjoining towers that are mostly medical offices for roughly $55 million each. The cancer center opened in 2007. One medical office tower was finished in 2006, and the other will be completed this year, said Providence spokeswoman Kirsten Schultz.

The hospital's news conference announcing the expansion was in the lobby of one of the towers.

A major feature of the upcoming project will be to expand intensive newborn care and change the approach to delivering such care. Instead of having six private rooms and one large room with 47 total bassinets, under the new setup, there would be 50 private rooms and a total capacity of 66 bassinets.

"Research has taught us private rooms are the best practice," said Dr. Lily Lou, medical director of the Level II and III newborn intensive care unit at Providence.

As testimony, Providence invited Yael and Bob Kaufman to talk about their experience in a private room at the newborn intensive care unit in November and December, when one of their twins died in the womb, and the second was delivered six weeks early by emergency Caesarean section. A private room "enabled me to live at the hospital around the clock," said Yael Kaufman, "In my opinion, it's really important."

Dr. Richard Mandsager, a pediatrician and Providence Alaska Medical Center's chief executive, said use of their newborn intensive care unit is increasing, and has exceeded the target of 65 percent occupancy every year since 2006.

Providence offers the highest level of newborn intensive care in the state, Level III, and cares for babies from across Alaska.

The maternity center will be updated and expanded, as well.

In the other major area being reworked, the cardiac surgery area will get an additional operating suite, and Providence will replace the existing cardiac operating suite with a larger room. One of the rooms will be equipped with advanced imaging technology, which will permit patients to undergo both open surgery and a less invasive procedures, such as stent placement, in the same room.

The project, which Providence has dubbed "Generations," will be paid for mostly through savings but also through sale of tax-exempt bonds, Schultz said. Community philanthropy will make up about 3 percent of the funding, she said.

Karen Lawfer, state certificate of need coordinator, said the state has already published a public notice about Providence's plans to give any other potential applicants the opportunity to offer similar services. The state will review whether there is a need for the expansion Providence proposes and, if so, how the proposal meets that need, she said.

If there are other similar proposals, the state will compare them, she said.

Officials at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage, Providence's main competitor, said they have no comment on Providence's plans.

Find Rosemary Shinohara online at adn.com/contact/rshinohara or call her at 257-4340.