UCHealth Memorial Hospital North, located in Colorado Springs, Colo., broke ground this week on an expansion to offer new, advanced services for patients. Due in part to increased demand for health care at the campus, the project has grown from $85 million to more than $110 million, expanding the hospital to more than 110 inpatient beds.

The expansion and new tower at Memorial Hospital North will provide additional women’s care and birth center services including two C-section ORs, nine additional emergency department rooms including two more trauma suites, two additional general surgery operating rooms, and additional acute-care and ICU inpatient beds. These services will allow the hospital to expand the birth center, level III trauma center and surgical specialties including an orthopedic and spine surgery program.

This project follows other UCHealth investments including a cardiac catheterization lab and radiation oncology building. The UCHealth Cancer Center at Memorial Hospital North now provides clinical trials and other advanced treatments including stereotactic radiosurgery capabilities.

The design of the expansion will complement plans by Children’s Hospital Colorado to build a full-service pediatric hospital on the UCHealth Memorial North campus. The hospitals will collaborate to ensure the community has access to advanced adult and pediatric care on the same campus, and both projects are expected to be completed in 2018 or early 2019.