The hospital will grow to 170,000 sf from 100,000 sf.

Avista interviewed three healthcare architectural firms in the country and selected Earl Swensson Associates Inc. of Nashville, TN to design the addition. Avista hired Phoenix-based Kitchell Contractors Inc. as the general contractor.

Avista Adventist Hospital serves a high growth area where the population is expected to increase by nearly 2% per year -- a rate faster than the state's overall growth rate. From 1999 to 2005, hospital sources expect to see an increase in deliveries of 49%, an increase in ER visits of 50%, and an increase in surgical cases of 64%.

"Our present facility simply cannot accommodate this level of growth without this expansion," says chief executive officer John Sackett.

The expansion project will impact most areas of the hospital, and when completed, will result in:

* 28 delivery suites.

* Expanded capabilities in both the hospital's normal and high-risk nurseries.

* 15 emergency room (ER) treatment areas, which is more than double the current ER capacity.

* A special pediatric emergency area designed just for children.

* 19 more private patient rooms -- many with a breathtaking view.

* An expanded intensive care unit, fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

* An expanded Imaging Department, with a new women's center featuring advanced breast biopsy capabilities, additional ultrasound and mammography equipment, and new technology that measures bone density.

"We will not only add to our capacity in many areas, but we will also be able to add new services and to provide faster access to some of the services for which patients are now having to wait too long for an appointment," Sackett says.

Construction is expected to be completed next year.

Sackett says the project will be funded by earnings and debt, and that patient charges will not be increased.

Avista Adventist Hospital employs nearly 500 employees and has 450 physicians on its medical staff. It is a member of Centura Health, Colorado's largest health care system, which serves the metro Denver area, Summit County, Colorado Springs, Cañon City, Pueblo and all of southeast Colorado.

The Centura Health system is comprised of 10 hospitals, four full-service medical/surgical centers, 10 senior living facilities, and a statewide home care and hospice division.

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