Boston Medical Center to Break Ground on $270 Million Redesign Project

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

Boston Medical Center (BMC), the largest safety-net hospital in New England, is moving forward with a multi-million-dollar plan to consolidate and renovate its two hospitals in the South End campus over the next three years.

Boston Medical Center

The Boston Globe reports that the envisaged medical facilities—Boston City Hospital and University Hospital which merged 18 years ago to become Boston Medical Center—will be transformed into a “patient-centered clinical campus” that will yield an annual benefit of at least $25 million through energy savings and the elimination of redundant ambulance trips between the medical buildings.

Estimated for completion by the end of 2017, the $270 million campus redesign project will be financed through a combination of private donations, bond financing and proceeds from the sale of the two adjoining buildings that form the Newton Pavilion on the former University Hospital campus. BMC’s overall footprint will shrink by nearly 330,000 square feet under the renovation plan, reaching 2.1 million square feet in 2017, the Globe notes.

The plan, which was approved last year by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, also includes new construction and renovations at the Menino, Yawkey and Moakley pavilions, while the Dowling Amphitheater will be demolished. A new bridge, that will facilitate the patient’s transport from the helipad to the medical center, will replace the yellow utility tube crossing Albany Street.

Under BMC’s redesign plan, the Emergency Department will expand by 30 percent to include new Urgent Care units and a separate behavioral health area, while the Intensive Care Units will be consolidated to one location on campus. Since the cafeterias at Newton and Menino pavilions will be closed, a new one will be created on the mezzanine level of the Yawkey building.

Image of Boston Medical Center via Facebook