Live Oak hospital marks $146M expansion milestone with beam raising

Methodist Hospital Northeast officials placed the last beam, completing the structural portion of the hospital's $146 million patient tower on Oct. 23.

The overview

Officials with Methodist Hospital Northeast broke ground on the three-story tower, which will support the hospital system’s future growth and expand inpatient capacity, in January. Once complete, the tower will add 100,000 square feet to the Live Oak campus and feature:

• 14 additional critical care beds

• 64 new medical-surgical beds

• A new kitchen

• A larger eating area

The expansion will also allow the hospital to fully privatize its rooms, Methodist Hospital Northeast CEO Jerrica George said. The project was designed by Austin-based HKS Architects. The contractor on the project is San Antonio-based Brasfield & Gorrie.

During the ceremonial topping out celebration, George said the expansion is more than a building.

"It's a fulfillment of a promise to continue caring for our community and providing quality care close to home," George said.

What’s next

The tower is expected to be complete in late September, said Walker Cox, senior project manager with Brasfield & Gorrie.

"Hopefully we'll see this thing go from three stories to six," Cox said.