St. Thomas More Hospital plans to complete Medical Office Building in February – Canon City Daily Record

Bryan Construction workers continue to build St. Thomas More Hospital's Medical Office Building on Friday. (Sara Knuth / Daily Record)

Workers landscape a new parking lot for hospital employees on Friday. (Sara Knuth / Daily Record)

For some health care professionals, going to work means heading to buildings that were completed in the 1960s, sometimes blocks away from St. Thomas More Hospital.

But by the time the Medical Office Building is completed, six departments and a cafe will be housed in one new two-story facility directly in front of the hospital.

"It's the excitement of another step in our history," said Jillian Maes, the hospital's director of marketing and communications.

The building, which was the site of a groundbreaking ceremony in August 2016 and faced a few delays, is expected to be completed in February. It will be the new home for family and internal medicine, orthopedics, OB-GYN services, an outpatient laboratory, pediatric health services and the Coyote Coffee Den and Cafe.

With two stories filled with about 75 offices, officials said they are planning for modern design and equipment in the building, which was expected to cost between $4 million and $5 million in August 2016.

"We're really excited to have a digital x-ray," said Rick Kamerzell, the hospital's administrative director. He added that other features include a patio cafe, which will be open to the public.

Additionally, he said, the consolidated departments will mean that patients have easier access to administrators and physicians.

For Kamerzell and the rest of the hospital, constructing the project has been a result of working with The Boldt Company and Colorado Springs-based companies Bryan Construction and RTA Architects.

Officials originally expected to officially open the facility by fall 2017. But after working through delays, including a few that were weather-related, the project is on track for the February completion.

"People have a hard time believing these guys can work that fast," Kamerzell said. "These guys seem to make the time up very well."

After the building is completed, Kamerzell said he expects the hospital to host a grand opening in the first two weeks of March.

Workers look over land Friday during construction of St. Thomas More Hospital's Medical Office Building. (Sara Knuth / Daily Record)

And as the hospital looks toward the future, he said the building is designed for an expansion, especially one that can house future administrators.

"We're being prepared for the future," he said. "We'll have the capacity in the future to expand horizontally."

He also said he expects future projects outside of the Medical Office Building, which is getting constructed on the heels of other major projects, including the hospital's new education center in Florence.

The hospital also is working on a new parking lot for employees on Phay Avenue. Kamerzell said he expects the lot to be completed in mid-August.

"Health care is so ever changing and dynamic," Kamerzell said. "We have to continue to move the bar."

St. Thomas More Hospital is located at 1338 Phay Ave.

Sara Knuth: 719-276-7644, knuths@canoncitydailyrecord.com

St. Thomas More Hospital's new Medical Office Building will consolidate several departments that are currently spread out. (Sara Knuth / Daily Record)

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St. Thomas More Hospital plans to complete Medical Office Building in February - Canon City Daily Record