The project is scheduled to wrap up next spring. Upon completion of the endeavor, GBMC will have supplemented its emergency department with the addition of a three-story building to accommodate the Rapid Diagnostic Unit, a five-bed pediatric care facility, 12 adult patient care bays, and four surgical suites. A medical intensive care unit and a community resource center will also be housed in the new structure.

It was last year that GBMC acquired 14 acres of land from neighboring hospital facility Sheppard Pratt Health System to make room for the new developments. As for financing, GBMC started its $30-million 'Expansion and Renovation Program 2004' last December. At last count, the campaign for private donations had brought in $26 million in its barely two-month-old existence. The medical center will garner the remaining funds through revenue bonds. GBMC is not alone in its bid to keep up with growing demand. Sheppard Pratt is planning an expansion and Mercy Medical Center is currently in the midst of a massive extension project.