Bishop blesses groundbreaking for new Riverside heart facility
Several hundred guests, city leaders, supporters and staff of St. Vincent’s HealthCare came together May 3 to participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new heart and vascular pavilion at St. Vincent’s Medical Center Riverside.
Ceremonial groundbreaking by Sen. Aaron Bean, name, Dr. Paul Chappano, Jane Lanier, Tom VanOsdol, Bishop Felipe Estévez, Dr. Samer Garas, Dr. Michael Mostovych, Steve Halverson, Joe Bucci, and Father Leonard Chuwa
The $55-million pavilion will include 30 medical and surgical rooms and 30 intensive care rooms, but will primarily be used for heart and vascular needs, including two nursing units devoted to caring for patients who undergo open-heart surgeries and other cardiovascular procedures.
The breezy waterfront ceremony was kicked off with welcoming remarks by Dr. Paul Chappano, St. Vincent’s HealthCare board chair. Music provided by the Bishop John Snyder High School band and choir, and a choir from Guardian Catholic Schools added to the event.
“This is a wonderful red-letter day in the history of St. Vincent’s Healthcare, a day that’s been a long time coming, a long time in the planning and the making,” said Tom VanOsdol, president and CEO for Ascension St. Vincent’s HealthCare. “This is part of what I’m calling our master ministry plan, a multi-million-dollar investment over the course of the next several years, the modernization and recapitalization of St. Vincent’s HealthCare at large. We are at a point of inflection for St. Vincent’s as we invest and grow and modernize and build St. Vincent’s HealthCare for the next hundred years.”
Bishop Felipe Estévez, of the Diocese of St. Augustine, blessed the project, sprinkling holy water around the construction site. “The Father of Goodness, who commanded us to help one another as brothers and sisters, bless this new building with His presence and look kindly on all who enter here,” said Estévez.
Opening of the four-story, 75,000-square-foot pavilion, which will be erected on the site of the former Seton Hall, is projected for fall 2019. The architect is Gresham, Smith & Partners and the builder is Haskell Company, who will construct it on stilts to avoid future possibilities of flooding as had occurred during Hurricane Irma in September 2017.
By Kate A. Hallock
Resident Community News
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