Story by: Lynne Choate on June 9, 2017
A topping off ceremony took place at Norton Audubon Hospital on Tuesday, June 6, where more than 100 employees, physicians and partners in the project gathered to mark this time-honored tradition.
“Our construction has reached the highest point, and we gather here today to celebrate this achievement,” said Jon D. Cooper, chief administrative officer at Norton Audubon Hospital. “Today is an opportunity to not just celebrate, but also recall the significance of the project we have taken on together as the Audubon family.”
Those who attended the ceremony were invited to climb the stairs to the third floor of a new tower being built. They had a chance to leave their mark on a permanent poster on the elevator shaft and to enjoy the beautiful view that patients and visitors will have once the tower is complete. In the coming months, the framed tower will be enclosed with a curtain wall of glass windows, as seen in renderings, allowing interior work to begin.
“Before the start of this construction we all committed together that we would innovatively deliver a new patient experience while remaining fully operational with a focus on efficiency, privacy, patient satisfaction and quality of care,” Cooper said to those in attendance at the ceremony. “I want to commend you all for doing just that during the past several months. I know you will continue this mission through the remainder of the project.”
Norton Healthcare is investing $107 million in the 36-month project. Renovations are progressing on schedule, with four areas already completed and reopened to patients.
“The internal renovations have been a labor of love for our employees, and I am so appreciative of their willingness to work around closed units or move work stations when necessary,” Cooper said. “In addition to our employees, patients have had to tolerate a little more noise and follow paths around the construction throughout the building. In the end, we are confident this project will yield an improved experience for all we serve.”
The exterior of the new tower is scheduled to be complete in September. From there, work on the tower’s interior will begin, creating 74 patient rooms, a larger emergency department and a catheterization lab recovery area. These additions are expected to open in April 2018. The remainder of the project includes an expansion and improvements to operating room and perioperative areas, as well as renovations to the fourth and sixth and floors. These will continue through 2019.
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