CGH Medical Center announces renovation, front entrance addition

STERLING – Over the next 18 to 24 months, CGH Medical Center will undergo major construction involving the entrance, lobby, admitting department, Auxiliary gift shop and the CGH Café.

The 20,000-square-foot project will enhance and modernize the most dated parts of the hospital and will provide a number of changes that include:

• expanded, comfortable lobby seating.
• improved patient flow and a more welcoming environment in the lobby area, as well as a more private and confidential admitting/discharge experience.
• a new reception area.
• improved security surveillance.
• family/patient consultation rooms.
• upgrades and renovations to the CGH Café and the cafeteria seating area.

“This project is really about ensuring that our patients have the best experience we can possibly provide from the minute they walk in our doors,” said Cindy Zander, CGH vice president of Support Services. “We want them to feel welcome and relaxed in an environment that reflects the high quality of care and service we offer.”

Phase 1 was completed in June 2023 with a remodel of the Ryberg Auditorium and classrooms. In July, Phase 2 began with temporarily relocating the admitting department and CGH Auxiliary offices to the classrooms. Construction also started on the new Auxiliary gift shop housed in the former admitting space.

Phase 2 will continue through spring 2024. This will include the construction of a new addition at the hospital’s main entrance and will feature an atrium with expanded lobby space, as well as space to incorporate increased security protection measures for staff and patients.

CGH’s Main Entrance will be closed beginning Oct. 13, and all patient and visitor arrivals will be redirected through the west entrance. Here are some important upcoming dates:

• Oct 12: The patient/visitor parking lot for the CGH main entrance will be blocked off.
• Oct. 13: The main entrance lobby doors will be closed. Patients and visitors should park in the lot near the west entrance, located between Locust Street and First Avenue. Visitors can also park in the east lot and use the east entrance, which faces Second Avenue.

“Other than the exterior addition, which will be built by outside general contractor Winter Construction, all in-house construction during this project is being completed by our internal CGH Plant Operations and Maintenance staff,” said Zander.

The POM staff are the 24/7 in-house professionals responsible for the construction, groundskeeping, painting, lighting, plumbing, electrical, HVAC systems and routine maintenance of CGH’s health-care facilities.

“As a not-for-profit community hospital, our administration and board are always mindful that we must be good stewards of our resources,” Zander said. “We are proud to say that by utilizing our amazing POM staff for a majority of this project, we save millions of dollars in construction costs.”

“We are continually looking for ways to enhance CGH and our patient experiences, and many times this means adding new technology or providing new services,” said Dr. Paul Steinke, CGH president and CEO. “However, the last renovations in our cafeteria and lobby were completed in 1986 and 1988, so we are long overdue in revitalizing and investing in these areas of the facility for our patients and staff now and into the future.”

For more information, visit www.cghmc.com/construction.