By Colleen Reynolds, Media Relations Coordinator, OSF HealthCare
As part of its continued investment in Central Illinois, OSF HealthCare has blessed a newly renovated 18,000-square-foot space at OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center, located at 2200 E Washington Street in Bloomington.
The $17.8 million project will add 25 new intensive care unit (ICU) rooms, more than doubling the hospital’s ICU capacity from 14 to 29 beds. The modernized space features a centralized and expanded care team hub, designed for efficient patient monitoring and quick access to patient rooms. Attention to detail was a priority in both function and aesthetics.
Pointcore Construction Program Manager Jordan Sondag notes that ergonomic design and nurse and provider input guided placement of bedside utilities like oxygen and IV hookups, as well as nurse documentation stations with dimmer switches for lights and room-facing windows for better patient visibility.
“The finish selections and paint colors are soothing and healing,” said Sondag. “This space reflects our commitment to compassionate, high-quality care – and we want patients to feel that from the moment they walk in.”
The expansion repurposes the former Center for Healthy Lifestyles and incorporates space from an adjacent courtyard. The relocation of the ICU will allow OSF HealthCare in the future to construct a new patient tower which will add 60-65 additional private beds.
Sondag also said one of the biggest challenges was adapting the design to the hospital’s existing structural grid, which required extensive excavation and reinforcement to support the new infrastructure and equipment.
Eunmee (UHN-mee) Shim, OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center president, says the transformation is part of a larger strategy to allow OSF St. Joseph Medical Center to be a regional referral center. Over the last few years, the hospital has been forced to deny hundreds of incoming patient transfers from smaller community hospitals due to being at capacity, making the expansion project key in serving surrounding rural communities.
