The state-of-the-art, 200 bed replacement hospital will be on Bell Hill Road, near exit 1 on I-459.The State Health Planning and Development Agency today approved a Certificate of Need filed by Medical West Hospital to construct a replacement hospital in western Jefferson County.
The move opens the way for Medical West, an affiliate of the UAB Health System, to construct a 200-bed replacement hospital near Exit 1 on Interstate Highway 459 to serve the residents of southwest Jefferson County. The existing facility in Bessemer was built in 1964 and hospital officials believe a new facility is necessary to continue providing the highest quality health care in a patient-focused environment in upcoming years.
The new hospital will provide all the services currently available at the existing facility. Medical West will also continue to serve area residents through operation of its primary care clinics in Bessemer, Hueytown, Vance, Tannehill, Hoover and Parkwest, along with the freestanding emergency department on Highway 150.
“We are pleased by today’s action which will allow us to begin the next chapter in the history of Medical West, proudly serving the residents of Bessemer and southwest Jefferson County for more than 50 years,” said Keith Pennington, CEO of Medical West Hospital. “The new facility will help us establish a state-of-the art hospital for our patients.”
Design and construction of the new hospital is expected to take 3 years. The current facility on 9th Ave. Southwest in Bessemer will continue to provide full medical care during the construction period.
The UAB Health System is a $3.2 billion organization with more than 2,000 medical staff and 17,750 employees in its hospitals, including UAB Hospital, UAB Hospital-Highlands and UAB Callahan Eye Hospital, and authority relationships at Medical West and Baptist Health Montgomery.