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West Bed Tower Project

Project Updates

March 2012


Construction of the $55 million West Bedtower project is 42 percent complete. The expected construction completion date of the expansion is December 31. Expect occupancy in February 2013. Shortly after occupancy, we will begin renovation of the existing West Bedtower. It will be stripped to the slab and columns, and rebuilt to match the expansion.

Some of exterior glass is being installed to the new bedtower. The glass matches the East Tower glass. Inside, work is progressing from bottom to top with all of the framing complete and drywall installation underway.

February 2012

About two-thirds of the exterior stone has been installed. There is a slight variation in color of the new stone compared to the existing stone on the south tower, which was installed 20-30 years ago. The vertical gaps between stone will be blue glass, much like the hospital’s East Tower.

The east side of the tower will consist of a pre-finished metal panel system that looks like stone but is a nice, economical substitute.

On the inside of the building, the contractors have framed nearly the entire building, mechanical units have been placed and drywall installation is well under way. Roofing will soon start, followed by installation of exterior windows.

Architects have been working with nurse managers and others to designate use of all spaces in the support service core on each floor. The new West Bed Tower’s design will allow us to place nursing units in the best location based on expected patient volumes.

As a result of rainy weather, material availability, material selection delays and the commitment to make the best possible patient and staff environment, completion of the expansion phase of work will be delayed a few weeks to late December 2012.

December 2011

The entire five-story structure with basement and penthouse has been framed and concrete poured. All support forms have been removed and framing of the interior walls is progressing well. The surface stones that make up the tower exterior are limestone and deep red and black granite, which will match the stone on the East Tower and the South Tower.

A blue glass tower will be at the north and south ends and middle of the West Bed Tower. This will allow natural light to enter all five floors to be viewable from the hallways. The deep red and black granite will run adjacent to the blue glass, on all five floors, to look much like the curved part of the East Tower. Natural stone will only be used on the west, north and south ends of the expansion. The inside face of the expansion and all of the existing west bed tower will be covered with metal panels, textured and painted to simulate the natural stone which will be less costly than all stone.

On another interior note, the level of each floor matches perfectly with the existing west bed tower so no internal ramps will be required. Compliments to our architects and engineers. Achieving the same level is very close to a design miracle. As of late December, various contractors have 147 workers on site, and the project was about 25 percent complete.

November 2011

Work is nearing completion on the south half of the fifth floor’s slab of the West Bed Tower, and work on the roof slab of the north side of the fifth floor is under way. Plans call for the entire building floor and roof slabs to be in place before Christmas.


The interior walls of the first floor are being laid out, and framing has begun.


Hospital employees and physicians have visited a mock up of the patient bedroom and were asked to provide feedback on the layout. Their comments have helped fine tune the patient bed area as well as the bathroom and cabinets.

Work groups are being organized to develop plans for the renovation of the existing West Bed Tower. Renovation to that area of the hospital will begin in about 12 months.


Late 2011 marks the delivery of the stone that will be used on the tower’s exterior walls. The stone, glass and metal panels for this project will be stored on site on the medical center’s lawn.

October 2011

Thanks to near perfect weather conditions, the West Bed Tower expansion is proceeding at a rapid pace. Estimated completion is Thanksgiving 2012. The third floor is nearing completion and work has begun on the fourth floor. We appreciate our patients’ understanding and tolerance during the construction project.

Planning and design of the patient bedroom continues. The design group, using input from employees, is determining the exact configuration of the medical gas headwall, selection of fixtures, lighting, nurse server, location of the PC work stations and wardrobe units. The first "color" board has been prepared showing the paint and trim colors as well as laminates and base cabinet tops. Employees and physicians are visiting a mock-up of the new patient bedrooms to review its contents and design.

August 2011

Construction on the project is moving from north to South. On the north end, the first floor slab is complete with construction of the exterior walls underway. The forming of the floor slab is near completion in the center and the south end of the building. Each floor in the new tower will measure 20,000 square feet or about one-half the length of a football field.

July 2011

Work on the West Bed Tower project is about 9 percent complete. The work visible from Gloster Street is the tower's foundation and basement walls.

June 2011

The crane that is being used in NMMC’s West Bed Tower construction project has generated lots of community interest. The following is a brief overview of the crane and its operation:


• The crane is 180 feet tall and its reach is 230 feet from its base. The crane can cover about one acre. It operates on the principle of balance with heavy counterweights on one end of the arm and the hook on the other.
• An average “big load” for lifting is about 8,500 lbs (equal to the weight of three small vehicles). The crane can lift more weight closer to the tower because of the counterweights.
• Crane operation is a two-person job. One worker is in the crane seat at the top of the tower and the second is on the ground guiding operations.

June 2011


The West Bed Tower ’s basement perimeter is visible from South Gloster Street. The basement, which will be used for crawl space, will house the tower’s air handling and electrical systems. The new tower will be 50 percent longer than the current west bed tower.


Each floor of the new bed tower will contain 28 beds, and the existing bed tower will be reduced to 16 patient rooms.


April/May 2011

The entrance to the hospital's Admissions and Discharge office relocated from the second floor to the south lobby on Feb. 7. The southwest parking lot adjacent to Admissions and Discharge office closed permanently over the weekend of Feb. 4-6. Visitors and inpatients who had been parking in this area will now park in front of the hospital instead of the west side of the building. An Ambassador is stationed in the lobby to provide assistance.

The hospital’s visitor entrance has a circle drive with a covered awning that can be used for patient pick up and drop off. Members of the Ambassador Services and Security staff are available to assist individuals as they exit their vehicles to enter the building.

The lobby, which has a large yellow sign over the revolving door entrance, is the main entrance for visitors to inpatient areas. The best parking option for inpatient services is the visitors parking lot, which is accessible from Garfield Street. The East Tower or outpatient entrance offers easy access to outpatient services and is identifiable by a large blue sign over the revolving door. Patients using those services are asked to park in the southeast parking deck located near the East Tower at the corner of Council Circle and Garfield Street. Additional parking is available in the Southeast Parking Structure.

The windows for eight patient bedrooms on each of the floors facing Gloster Street have been covered with plywood as a safety measure for the rooms' occupants. The window protection will remain in place throughout the two-year West Bed Tower expansion project.  In February, a 180-foot-tall crane with an arm reaching about 230 feet was installed adjacent to Gloster Street.

Background

The Boards of Directors for North Mississippi Medical Center and its parent organization, North Mississippi Health Services, have approved a five-story west bed tower expansion project that will enlarge and upgrade 250 patient rooms. The project is in response to public feedback regarding shortcomings in patient rooms on the east and west nursing units, many of which were constructed almost 45 years ago.

More than 140 planning sessions have been conducted with various constituencies including patients and their families, physicians, employees, various support groups, area citizens and elected officials. (A price increase is not anticipated for this project, as it should add less than 1 percent to the cost of providing care.)

Project overview:

  • A five-story expansion will be constructed to the west along South Gloster Street.
  • Existing patient rooms will be enlarged from approximately 165 square feet to approximately 265 square feet.
  • Each room will have three distinct zones – one for the patient, the family and hospital staff.
  • Patient area will include a comfortable bed, shower, built-in bedside table and wall closet, as well as two recliners.
  • The patient will have bedside control of everything in the room, including room temperature, lights, television, nurse call system and even opening or closing the window blinds. The patient will also have a wider view out the window – 135-degree view as opposed to the current 90-degree.
  • Staff area will include a desk and chair, as well as a sink for hand washing.
  • Each of the five floors is designed to include 44 patient rooms. Sixteen rooms will be located in the existing area, and 28 new rooms will be constructed. A wide corridor will connect the two sections.

New Patient Rooms

Economic Impact