FORT WAYNE, IND. – AUG. 18, 2020 – The new medical tower at Parkview Regional Medical Center (PRMC) will open nearly three months earlier than originally planned, with the first patients scheduled to arrive Thursday, Aug. 20.
The six-story, 168,000-square-foot tower will add a total of 72 new inpatient beds and 100 new clinical positions. The $98 million investment resulted from a growing demand for inpatient and ambulatory care for patients from northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio.
The design largely mimics the existing PRMC tower, including all-private rooms and an abundance of natural light, with a few new safety measures, such as negative pressure rooms and in-room technology.
“Since the day it opened in 2012, PRMC has regularly operated near capacity, making construction of the new tower necessary to meet growing demand,” said Ben Miles, president, Parkview Regional Medical Center & Affiliates. “The patient-centered design of both towers helps us provide the excellent care that people have come to expect from us. The new tower is equipped to be functional and meet the needs of patients today, with flexibility to meet the needs of our community well into in the future.”
The sixth floor will be the first to open, operating as an expansion of PRMC’s medical/surgical progressive care unit, with 24 new inpatient beds. Earlier this year, construction was expedited in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are extremely grateful to the team at Weigand Construction, who worked diligently to complete the top floor well ahead of schedule,” Miles said. “The south tower is opening at a critical time, helping us provide high-quality care for an even greater number of people who come to us from throughout the region.”
The fifth and fourth floors of the new medical tower will open for patients Oct. 1 and Nov. 1, respectively. The fifth floor will be used for medical/surgical specialty care, and the fourth floor will be used for neurological care, with 24 beds on each floor. Opening dates have not been set for the second and third floors of the tower, as plans are still being finalized for the services on those floors.
The lower level and first floor of the tower will open Sept. 15. These floors will include maintenance areas, a new emergency department entrance and a patient discharge lounge. While the opening date for the discharge lounge is still to be determined, the design of the first floor will allow for improved patient flow and experience.
“In addition to the medical tower expansion at PRMC, we have also created more capacity at Parkview Hospital Randallia,” added Miles. “Renovations there allowed us to open an additional 20 inpatient beds in July, improving access to care for patients across Allen County.”
As a reminder, visitor restrictions are still in place at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Visit Parkview.com/COVID19 for details.