SSM Health announced on Thursday that it is constructing a new 14-story paediatric hospital to eventually replace Cardinal Glennon. The hospital stated that the new structure, which will be built immediately north of St. Louis University Hospital on Chouteau Avenue and South Grand Boulevard, would be better suited for the more intricate — and sometimes bigger — technology that hospitals are increasingly using in paediatric treatment. The current Cardinal Glennon Hospital, located at 1465 South Grand, first opened its doors in 1956.
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“Health care for children in the 1950s, when the hospital was built, was very different than it is in 2023,” said Jeremy Fotheringham, president of SSM’s St. Louis and academic missions.
When the new SSM Health paediatric hospital will be completed
The new structure is slated to open in 2027. According to officials, there will be more room for patients’ families, and the emergency department will likely increase in size. Dr. Hossain Marandi, the hospital president, said the new facility would feature more than 200 total beds.
Only three years ago, SSM opened the new $550 million St. Louis University Hospital. SSM also purchased SLUCare Physician Group, the business that staffs St. Louis University’s medical school, in 2022. The four-state SSM system now operates 23 hospitals and employs around 40,000 employees.
According to Laura Kaiser, CEO of SSM, the new SLU hospital has a substantially larger emergency department but somewhat less total capacity than the previous structure. SSM has begun to occupy a few floors of the former SLU Hospital. Similarly, even after the new building opens, it will continue to use sections of the present Cardinal Glennon hospital for outpatient services.
The new structure will be intended for those more contemporary instruments. Furthermore, extra space for family members, who authorities say play an essential part in patients’ recovery. According to Fotheringham, the new facility will include additional technology-based activities for patients, such as gaming and video stations.
