WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Novant Health has recently entered the next phase of its $400 million comprehensive capital investment plan at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center. The multiphase construction project initially launched in 2019, with phase 1 plans currently underway to renovate existing patient rooms and enhance the women’s and children’s center. Phase 2 was recently launched in coordination with design partners Gresham Smith and McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, to construct a new five-story, 193,480-square-foot critical care tower. Each phase of the construction process is strategically designed to enhance the patient experience and improve access to critical care services in Winston-Salem and the surrounding area.
“We’re very excited to continue investing in the future of health care in our community,” said Chad Setliff, senior vice president and president of Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center and greater Winston-Salem market. “Our goal is, and will always be, focused on providing the latest in advanced technology and truly next-level care for our patients close to home. Once complete, the new and state-of-the-art critical care tower will function as a place of hope and healing for generations to come.”
Some of the most notable phase 1 enhancements include an entire renovation to the labor and delivery unit of the hospital. Expecting mothers will benefit from a brand-new and first-in-the-region obstetrics emergency department (OBED), which is staffed 24/7 by a board-certified obstetrician. Additionally, each labor and delivery room has been spaciously redesigned to enhance the patient experience, and nine delivery rooms have been outfitted with new hydrotherapy tubs, with one room specifically reserved for midwifery. The next phase in the women’s and children’s remodel is to relocate and refurbish the mother-baby post-delivery unit, so all labor and delivery services, including the hospital's 56-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) will be combined into one convenient location.
Upcoming phase 1 plans also include a renovation to the hospital’s kitchen and cafeteria. This redesign will not only make the dining experience more welcoming, but it will relocate the entrance of the dining room so patients and visitors can find it more easily within the hospital. Also during phase 1, a new central energy plant will be installed, designed to heat and cool the 1.8-million-square-foot medical center.
Phase 2 construction of the critical care tower will begin with an October scheduled demolition of Forsyth Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Center. This phase will also include a redesign of the hospital’s patient drop-off and pickup area. Once complete, a groundbreaking ceremony for construction of the new critical care tower will be scheduled for second quarter 2022.
The tower will include 60 critical care and 36 patient rooms along with a completely redesigned surgical suite, thus streamlining all aspects of patient care – from drop off to surgery and recovery – into one convenient location. Outside of the enhanced wayfinding experience, patients will also enjoy larger rooms that offer added privacy and abundant natural light. The new tower is projected to be complete in late 2024, but interior renovations will continue through 2027. All surgical services will continue to operate throughout the construction process.
Preliminary artistic renderings of the new critical care tower are available here.
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