Stoughton Health’s growing services and the needs of the surrounding community call for more space, staff, and capabilities, and the health care organization believes it has the answer with its new Medical Outpatient Building. Under construction since October, the design plans look beyond current needs with a futuristic diagnosis.
Many of those needs are local and anticipated to grow with the surrounding population. As part of the plan design, Project Manager Teresa Lindfors, chief strategy and business development officer for Stoughton Health, says the organization has made it a priority to anticipate and meet the changing needs of the community. “We have created a plan to improve patient and staff convenience, enhance efficient workflow, and increase staffing to meet the growing demand for our services.”
Community informed project
More specifically, plans speak to expansion and evolving needs in the post-pandemic era. Efforts by Stoughton Health’s board of directors, administrative team, and foundation have helped the project get on its feet, supported by data and a dialogue with the community. “The process included an analysis of service line data, partnering with EUA to determine program needs and square footage to meet current needs and beyond. [We] enlisted JP Cullen construction to build the Medical Outpatient Building. We also worked with the city of Stoughton to obtain approval … In addition, we hosted neighbor meetings to keep our neighbors informed of the project and potential impacts to them.”
The new 56,000-square-foot space will house the organization’s specialty clinics. The building brings Stoughton Health rehabilitation services back to the main campus with cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, and it allows for expanded urgent care service.
In addition, the project’s dynamic design includes options for future additions, and that means that if and when the construction cycle begins anew, there will be options for building even greater capacity.
“The lower level of our facility will include 24,000 square feet of ‘shelled space’ to accommodate future growth,” explains Lindfors. “The building is designed to add an additional floor should more space be required in the future. As the [operational] shift from inpatient to outpatient services continues, we anticipate future space needs.”
As one of Stoughton’s three largest employers, Stoughton Health stands to have a substantial impact. Expansion of Stoughton Health’s services means increased opportunities for employment, which in turn supports conditions for population growth in Stoughton and surrounding communities. Ultimately, many of the project’s key priorities boil down to creating local opportunities and bolstering care.
“This project will continue to give residents the opportunity to receive care locally, even as demand grows,” Lindfors says. “We listen to the voices of our patients and their families, and many are grateful to receive their care where they live.”
The project’s construction is currently underway and anticipated to be completed during the spring of 2025, at which time Stoughton Health will host a celebratory open house. The building site is adjacent to the SSM Medical Group Dean Clinic–Stoughton but is separate from the main hospital location, an inpatient setting.
Donor dollars
While there is substantially more fundraising work to be done, Lindfors likes the project’s current trajectory. The total budgeted cost is $25 million, more than $2 million has been raised thus far, and Stoughton Health does not anticipate any hurdles for a construction project that at this point remains on schedule.
Lindfors expressed both confidence in and gratitude to the community for working to make it possible. “As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the generosity of donors to help fund capital projects like this one,” she notes. “We are delighted by the generosity of our community in helping support this project.”
