LAKEWOOD — Dirt and doves will fly this morning when ground is broken on the new St. Anthony West Hospital.
The $400 million state-of-the-art hospital will be built on part of a 50-acre parcel at the Denver Federal Center. St. Anthony is moving from its cramped 16-acre home of 115 years in northwestern Denver.
“This will provide a better healing environment for the associates, staff and patients,” said chief executive Peter Makowski. He cited its natural light, large patient rooms and more efficient placement of services and programs.
The new St. Anthony – to be on the Federal Center’s southwest side – will continue its focus on cardiac services, neurosciences, orthopedics, women’s services and trauma and emergency care.
Lakewood officials are ecstatic about having their first hospital in the city of 146,000, especially after a decade of working out details with the Federal Center’s landlord.
“Our citizens have to drive out of the community to access health care,” said Lakewood City Manager Mike Rock. “You can look at it in economic terms, and all of that’s important, but the primary benefit is to the citizens.”
The economic impact can’t be ignored, said Lakewood Mayor Steve Burkholder. “It will bring more jobs to the city and ancillary businesses that support the hospital.”
St. Anthony officials estimate the impact on Lakewood when the hospital is fully completed in late 2011 at $284 million annually.
The hospital and its two medical office buildings also will create 2,500 jobs.
Plans, which are still being designed, called for a 380-bed, 900,000-square-foot hospital. With a bigger emphasis on outpatient care, Makowski said, the size has been whittled to 270 beds with 600,000 square feet.
The first phase will include the orthopedic hospital and should open in 2009.
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com
