Centra Lynchburg General Hospital officially broke ground Thursday on a $140 million hospital tower. It marks the largest healthcare construction project in Centra Health’s nearly 40-year history. The six-story tower expansion is a part of Centra’s long-term Modernization Plan.
Centra Health CEO Richard Tugman called the project a necessary investment to keep pace with the evolving needs of central Virginia.
“We have to keep up with the times,” Tugman said. “We have to be able to continue to invest and care for this community. We’re a not-for-profit so we’re a mission-driven organization. We have to deliver on that mission.”
The six-story hospital tower will include a new emergency department, a new labor and delivery unit, and 12 new operating rooms. Hospital leaders say the expansion is not just about upgrading facilities, but about meeting the region’s rising demand.
“Having a modern emergency department is going to be a huge help,” said Jim Frenchik, president of Lynchburg General Hospital and an emergency medicine physician. “It’ll be nice to provide expedition care and it’ll be a nicer environment for the patients, which makes it a lot easier for the physicians as well. It also gives us more capacity, because the hospital is generally pretty full.”
Construction on the tower is expected to be completed in 2028. The project is also expected to create more than 2,500 jobs during the construction phase, a boost to the local economy. The expansion comes as Centra continues to grow its workforce as well. Last month, the nonprofit added nine new providers, and will be adding more jobs once the tower is completed.
“The Board has asked us to recruit 18 net new providers over the next few years, Tugman said. “So, we’re already doing exactly that.”
Tugman says the new tower will give families greater access to advanced, modernized care, close to home.
This isn’t the only expansion Centra currently has underway. Another project at Centra’s Langhorne Medical Center, also in Lynchburg, is expected to be completed this December.