Fore River project update - May/June, 2008

As we approach July 25, the date Mercy officially takes ownership of its new hospital on the Fore River Campus, work continues at a brisk pace. Site work such as curbing, paving, sidewalk installation, seeding and planting is mostly done and will be finished by mid-June. The main area of concentration right now is the area in the front part of campus, between the hospital and the medical office building. The hospital recently selected the type of brick it will use for the special memorial engraved pavers. These pavers will be installed in the covered walkway in the front of the hospital. If you would like to purchase a memorial paver, they are still available by calling the Development Office at 879-3486.

A piece of work that is continuing is the installation of a heated, snow-melting walkway at the front entrance to the hospital. Masonry work on the hospital is mostly complete, with just the finishing details remaining. The same is true of the roof and exterior windows. In the coming weeks, window installation will begin in the tall spire at the corner of the chapel (the spire is currently protected by a blue overwrap). This will be finished by mid-June.

As far as the interior of the building goes, it's really starting to look like something! The sheetrock is done with the exception of the fourth floor, where just mudding and taping remain. Finish painting on the ground floor, first and second floors will be done by the end of May, and will be done on the third and fourth floors by mid-June. Ceiling grids are installed on the ground, first and second floors and will be installed by the end of May on the third and fourth floors. Installation of ceiling tiles is one of the last steps and will come later on.

Flooring is being installed throughout the hospital, and the kitchen is really taking shape! The majority of the equipment has been delivered and is in place, the floor is down and finishing touches are all that remain.

The time frame between now and mid-September will be extremely busy at the new hospital as system testing and furniture and equipment delivery takes place. Plant and Engineering will be learning and testing dozens of important systems, such as fire alarm, heat, ventilation, air conditioning, air handling, medical vacuum and medical air, sprinkler and snow melting systems, among many others. September will be here before we know it!

Project Overview

Mercy Hospital was created in response to a challenge - an influenza epidemic that devastated Portland in 1918.  Then, sixty Sisters of Mercy answered the call for help, beginning what has been a long-cherished tradition: the delivery of clinically excellent, compassionate health care to those in need, regardless of race, creed, or ability to pay.

Today Mercy faces a host of challenges those sixty Sisters could never have foreseen.   A growing population and dramatically different medical technologies have taxed the capabilities of the current hospital facility to the limit, and the time has come to undertake the most exciting and ambitious challenge in Mercy's history: the relocation to a new Mercy Hospital while preserving the Mercy legacy of mission and community.

Mercy's Phase I, 151,000 square-foot hospital building will be located on the Fore River.   This is the first step in a multi-phase project that will ultimately replace the current State Street facility.  The Fore River facility is Phase One of a two-phase replacement plan.   The first phase will be designed as a short-stay inpatient and full-service outpatient surgical and obstetrical facility.  Anticipated occupancy is September of 2008.