A two-story, $4.2 million addition is planned at St. Josephs Care Center here that will result in the equivalent of more than 20 new full-time positions.


The new wing will become the front entry for the center, located at 17 E. Eighth, and is designed for future expansion, says Mike Kelly, director of facilities for Sacred Heart Medical Center, which, like St. Josephs, is part of the Renton, Wash.-based Providence Health & Services network.


St. Josephs, formerly a subsidiary of Sacred Heart, now is operated as an independent entity by Providence, but the Sacred Heart facilities department oversees facility-related needs for St. Josephs and will handle the planned expansion, Providence says.


The 17,000-square-foot, steel-frame addition will house a transitional care unit with a 1,500-square-foot rehabilitation space, five offices, a large dining and activities room, and 20 private rooms for orthopedic and cardiac patients, Kelly says.


Also, a new patio is to be added off of the west side of the building, he says.


Mahlum Architects Inc., of Seattle, designed the addition, and Spokanes Bouten Construction Co. is expected to begin building it in January.


Kelly says he anticipates that the facility will take about 12 months to complete. Sheila Masteller, vice president for continuum development at Providence here, says the facility is scheduled to be open by April 2009.


She says the services offered in the new wing will represent an expansion of care for Providence.


Providence intends to hire a total of 21 full-time employees, including physical therapists, nurses, nurses aides, and a manager, to staff the new wing, Masteller says.


She says the project is in response to changing insurance reimbursements that aim to reduce hospital stays, and through the project, St. Josephs hopes to serve patients who are approved for a new recovery process that includes short-term, intense in-patient rehabilitation following orthopedic and cardiac surgeries.


Masteller says Providence anticipates an increase in the need for such rehabilitation over the next few years, with more baby boomers needing hip and knee surgeries.


A net total of 17 beds will be added, as some of the current buildings semiprivate rooms will be converted to private rooms, Masteller says.


The center currently has 145 beds, the majority of which are used for long-term skilled nursing care, with some used for one- to two-month rehabilitation stays following surgery for patients who need intravenous antibiotics or complex skilled nursing care.


Masteller says Providence would like to offer patients who need shorter-term, intensive rehabilitation the option of getting all of their care through the Providence system.


Kelly says the planned addition was designed for future expansion, and could be built up to replace the current building in 10 to 15 years. St. Josephs was built around 1965, he says.


The project is currently undergoing its environmental review, which Kelly says he expects to be completed in October.


Contact Jeanne Gustafson at (509) 344-1264 or via e-mail at jeanneg@spokanejournal.com.