Construction is getting underway on Denver Health’s $157 million outpatient center nearly a year after voters approved a bond measure that’s partially funding the project.
When construction on the building is completed in 2020, the Outpatient Medical Center will house many of Denver Health’s specialty clinics and services, including orthopedics and radiology. A groundbreaking ceremony for the center will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at 660 Bannock St.
The outpatient center was part of a $937 million bond package approved by Denver voters last year. The bonds are contributing to about half the cost — $75 million — of the project, which Denver Health says is needed to expand its specialty services.
Many of the specialty clinics and services that will occupy the Outpatient Medical Center are located in different buildings across Denver Health’s campus.
The building that the specialty clinics will be relocating from are older and no longer provide the space needed for those services. Denver Health expects that many of its clinics will reach capacity in a few years, with patient demand outstripping capacity in its outpatient clinics.
By moving them into the 293,000-square-foot Outpatient Medical Center, the building will become a “one-stop shop” for patients seeking care, said Chief Executive Officer Robin Wittenstein.
“We really believe the environment the new building will provide is conducive to healing,” she said.
Once the clinics move to the Outpatient Medical Center, some of the old buildings will be used for support services, information technology services and research space.
The outpatient center, which will be seven stories tall, is designed to represent Denver’s neighborhoods. For example, the first floor has a Union Station theme, Wittenstein said.
The building also will have a simplified pathway so it will be easier for patients to find the clinic they are visiting and there will be spaces for physicians and staff to collaborate, said Tom Harvey, director of architecture firm HKS’ office in Denver.
“It’s a great concept that is encouraging and fostering collaboration among the physicians,” he said.
