Trustees announce expansion program

The plan would add more facilities for both inpatient and outpatient care.
BUTLER, Pa. -- (PRNewswire) The trustees of the Butler Health System announced a 140 million expansion program to address its community's care needs through the development of a new regionwide health-care delivery system.
All construction costs will be funded solely by the hospital's existing cash reserves, future operating revenue and bonds. No tax dollars will be used, said William D. Bessor, chairman of the BHS board.
After concluding it could not adequately deliver quality care by renovating the East Brady Street campus alone, health system trustees and administration reviewed three potential options: build an entirely new facility on a new campus; relocate near the Butler Veterans Affair's Medical Center, or pursue a dual-campus system that would separate outpatient from inpatient treatment.
Butler Health System's plan, although similar to the third option, sets a different path: new inpatient care space on the current East Brady Street campus, and the creation of new, more comprehensive outpatient care facilities within the Butler region to manage exponentially growing outpatient care, Bessor said.
New buildings
The building projects include a new acute care inpatient tower on the East Brady Street campus and multiple, new outpatient facilities throughout the Butler region, Bessor said.
The new outpatient campuses will be located in a number of places and take varied forms. Some will be developed in partnership with other health entities, and some will be operated exclusively by BHS.
In addition, BHS will make a multimillion-dollar investment in information technology, electronically linking hospital services, doctors and patients for enhanced care.
"This decision means anyone who relies on BHS can be assured they'll get the best possible health care for generations to come," said William D. Bessor, chairman of the BHS board.
"The most exciting part of this process is just beginning," said Ken DeFurio, interim president and chief executive officer at BHS. "We are assembling groups of employees, physicians and community stakeholders to begin the very real work of planning exactly what we will build."
Construction will begin on the East Brady Street campus first with demolition of the Nixon Sarver Building, officials said.