Butler Health Details $150M Expansion Plan

BUTLER, PA-Butler Health System has finalized plans for a $150-million expansion plan that will take place over the next two to three years. At its heart is construction of a new seven-story acute care tower on the existing Butler Memorial Hospital campus at 911 E. Brady St.

An existing building will be razed to make way for the tower. John Righetti, VP of strategic relationships for BHS, tells GlobeSt.com, the existing building has been gutted; demolition is slated for this March, and construction will begin this April or May. He says $127 million of the budget is slated for this building and it is expected to reach completion by the end of 2009 or early 2010.

Another component of the expansion is BHS’s acquisition of the Morgan Building, located about a mile from the main campus. It is being converted into an outpatient delivery site with diagnostic testing and physicians’ offices. Righetti says the acquisition and conversion cost is approximately $8 million. The first floor has already been converted into an obstetrics and gynecology office, and some physician offices, he says, “and we will relocate some cardiovascular functions there from the main campus.”