Overlake Hospital Begins Demolition to Prepare for $300 Million Campus Expansion

Bellevue, Wash. – Demolition has begun to pave the way for the $125 million Overlake South Tower, a new 104-bed patient facility, adding additional capacity to care for Eastside patients at Overlake. Opening in late 2007, this facility will bring physicians and specialists to the Eastside, along with more than 500 jobs.

“We are building a hospital that can respond to changes in technology, methods of care and the future demand for health care,” said Ken Graham, Overlake president and CEO.

The 200,000 square-foot South Tower is the first project in the three-year Overlake Hospital expansion plan. Additional projects include a six-story, 200,000 square-foot medical office building, the future Group Health Cooperative specialty center to be built south of the hospital and open in spring 2008, and the 10th Street extension that will exit to both Overlake Hospital and Group Health’s facility.

Peter Adler, executive vice president for Group Health and resident of Bellevue, expressed his enthusiasm about Overlake's expansion plans. "Between the two organizations, Group Health and Overlake, we will be investing more than $250 million in new state-of-the-art outpatient and inpatient medical facilities. This magnitude of investment, and the collaboration between the two health care organizations, will create a medical epicenter for all Eastside residents."

With the expansion, Overlake will embrace a fresh style and atmosphere that will improve the way people think about hospitals while promoting a safe, efficient, healing environment. To implement Overlake’s vision, Overlake is working with NBBJ, a renowned architectural team that incorporates natural elements to complement the technology and safety requirements of today’s hospitals.

 “In an area already known for its exceptional quality of life, Bellevue and Eastside residents will not only have the opportunity to live, work, dine and shop in a premier environment,” said Graham, “they will also have the security of knowing that their city is home to the finest medical center in the Pacific Northwest.”

More About the South Tower

“The South Tower is designed for the patient and their family, so they can receive exceptional medical care by the finest physicians in an efficient environment close to home,” says Janet Donelson, Overlake’s vice president of facilities.

The tower will feature a 40-bed state-of-the-art Emergency Trauma Center, located on the ground floor, with clear and easy access from 10th Street and 116th Ave NE. This new center will enhance the hospital’s Level Three Trauma Center, the highest-ranking trauma service on the Eastside.

The second level of the tower will comprise of six operating rooms equipped with the latest in technology and safety protocols. The new ORs bring Overlake’s total of operating rooms on campus to 19.

The South Tower will be comprised of five floors, with an additional four levels of underground parking. The design accommodates future replacement of older buildings and expansion capacity for additional patient floors. Connector passageways to Group Health’s specialty center will be constructed, allowing for the future 10th Street extension.

Featuring the latest technology in single-patient rooms, the South Tower will give patients and their families’ privacy and support space. Each room is designed to be bright, spacious and to promote healing. Some will be furnished with a window seat or sofa area, creating a comfortable space for family members staying overnight. Numerous high-tech stations will replace the centralized nurses’ station, so care teams can be closer to their patients.

The higher tower levels will feature a new acute care unit and two more floors dedicated to patient care. One of the floors will enable the new acuity adaptable model of care, allowing patients to recover from critical status until their discharge without changing rooms.