Parkview Health has completed the final phase of construction on its new medical tower at the Parkview Regional Medical Center (PRMC) in Fort Wayne. The health system says the final unit of the tower brings the total number of new inpatient beds to 142.

The 168,000-square-foot addition, known as South Tower, includes six floors of inpatient units as well as the hospital’s emergency department on the first floor.

Construction on South Tower began in May 2018. Work was expedited in 2020 due to the pandemic and the first unit opened in August of that year.

John Bowen, president of PRMC & Affiliates, says the additional capacity was critical for the hospital during the pandemic.

“When the decision was made to build the South Tower, no one could have anticipated the emergent need for additional capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Bowen in written remarks. “Largely because of the South Tower, Parkview was able to care for more than two-thirds of the COVID-19 patients in our region.

Including South Tower, the health system has added more than 250 inpatient beds over the last two years, including additions to nearby Parkview Hospital Randallia and Parkview DeKalb Hospital.

Original source can be found here.