Vanguard

Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: News

The University of South Alabama board of trustees recently approved a $50 million expansion of USA Children's and Women's Hospital.

The expansion will increase the size of USA's Children's and Women's Hospital by 150,000 square feet, increasing the hospital size by more than 60 percent, according to Dr. Becky DeVillier, USA Children's and Women's Hospital administrator. A new parking lot is to be included along with a new cafeteria and kitchen.

The expansion of the hospital will move pediatric and infant care to the new wing of the hospital, which is projected to have three floors while the current building has five.

The construction of the new branch of the hospital will increase serving capacity for women's services in the existing floors as well as child and infant caretaking.

"[The expansion will] provide more separation of children's and women's services," DeVillier said, "It will provide more space to better care for our patients in all areas and also allow our growth to continue."

Bob Lowry, senior associate director for hospital marketing and public relations for USA, told The Vanguard last year that the hospital projected seeing 3,000 births at the hospital in the year prior to expansion project entering the preliminary phases, which was twice as many as other hospitals in the areas.

Lowry pointed out in April 2007 that more patients were choosing USA Children's and Women's Hospital and that the expansion was necessary. The expansion comes as the USA Health System and USA's Children and Women's Hospital continues to experience major growth from year to year. The hospital has seen more than a 25 percent growth rate in all areas of care in the past two years, according to DeVillier.
Construction plans have yet to be finalized. However, construction is projected to begin within the year and end in late 2010 to early in the year of 2011.

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