October 10, 2022
(press release)
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Mount Nittany Health is pleased to announce that the Mount Nittany Health System Board has approved the development of a new 10-floor, 300,000 sq. ft. addition to the Mount Nittany Medical Center. This strategic investment builds on Mount Nittany Health’s commitment to its mission of ‘Healthier people, stronger community,’ and is part of the health system’s focus on providing award-Xwinning care close to home. The new state-of-the-art facility will deliver an advanced patient-centered experience and serve an expanding number of Mount Nittany Health providers. The new patient tower will transform the patient and staff experience with an expected occupancy date of December 2026. The design will bring natural light into the rooms, while capturing the spectacular views of nature in a sustainable building. It will include 168 private patient rooms, which will operate in combination with private rooms in the existing hospital, so all patients will have a private room. In addition, the new tower will include telemetry capabilities, outpatient clinics, point-of-care registration, enhanced dining and food service preparation, outdoor space for patients, visitors, and staff, a modernized data center, a central utility plant, a 171-space parking deck and walkway, and improved storage space. "The new tower is a big, game-changing step to improve the environment for patients and staff," said Kathleen Rhine, president and CEO of Mount Nittany Health. "By investing in the new tower, we are creating a better environment for the medical staff and nursing professionals caring for our community members, and enhancing the inpatient experience with spacious private rooms, a therapeutic environment, convenient access to inpatient care services, and advanced technology." Physician and staff feedback has been an essential part of the process, and will continue throughout the planning and construction phases. Nearly 40 Mount Nittany Health team members served on the initial planning team, which included a detailed assessment of patient rooms, staff amenities, kitchen and dining areas, breast care center, MTU/anticoagulant clinic/speech therapy, telemetry monitoring capabilities, and storage. They also benchmarked similar recent projects at peer institutions. Their comments were unanimously enthusiastic about how the new space would benefit patients and staff, praising the technological capabilities and floor design. “The indoor/outdoor spaces will give our teams a place to get the much-deserved relaxation time needed to recharge,” said Amber Shaw, RN/ICU/PCU Manager. In addition to improving the environment for patients, visitors and staff, the new tower will enhance recruitment and retention and increase pandemic capacity and flexibility. This is an example of Mount Nittany Health’s continuing re-investment in our community. Design development for the project began in August 2022, and construction is anticipated to begin next summer. The internationally recognized design firm, Stantec, is the architecture firm of record, and Whiting Turner will manage the construction. Occupancy is expected by December 2026. More information, including updates about the new tower project, will be posted at mountnittany.org/press-news.
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