St. Luke’s University Health Network broke ground Tuesday on its new four-story, 165,000-square-foot patient care building at its Monroe Campus in Bartonsville.

“With the construction of the patient care tower, St. Luke’s is meeting the strong and growing demand for our nationally recognized healthcare services and keeping them close to home,” says Don Seiple, president of St. Luke’s Monroe Campus. “Our investment in growth is fueled by the trust the residents of Monroe County have in our providers. It will also allow us to meet the projected demand for our expert care in the future.”

The addition will double the size of the existing hospital. The new patient care tower - expected to open in early 2024 - will be built on the east side of the St. Luke’s Monroe Campus. It will house a general medical-surgical unit with 36 beds, additional operating and procedure space, expanded outpatient programs and a state-of-the-art interventional radiology suite as well as shell space for future development.

The project will employ 250 construction workers and create 80 new permanent jobs - more could come later as shell space is occupied.