Last week’s entrance changes and recent parking lot improvements have paved the way for Chester County Hospital’s expansion. The hospital, located in West Chester, Pa., is slated to begin construction on a 276,000-square-foot expansion and renovation project this month.

In November 2016, the hospital opened a 700-space parking garage to accommodate patient and visitor cars during the expansion project. Over the last few months, the hospital has also renovated its historic entrance, added more parking spaces for its Emergency Department, and created a busing plan to shuttle guests from the garage to the new lobby.

The expansion and renovation project is another significant endeavor for the hospital, which completed Lasko Tower, a 93,000-square-foot expansion, about three years ago. Lasko Tower added 72 spacious rooms for heart patients, plus a mother and baby pavilion and an orthopaedic/surgical recovery unit. The construction of Lasko Tower was considered a first step in the hospital’s bigger plan.

Once the expansion is complete, the hospital will gain a new front entrance, 15 operating Room suites (with three reserved for future growth), three high-tech labs for catheterization and electrophysiology, 10 additional emergency department rooms (eight exams rooms and two trauma bays), new areas for non-invasive cardiology and pre-admission testing, and potentially 99 new inpatient beds.

The hospital has contracted with Ballinger for the architecture and L.F. Driscoll for construction.