NEWBURYPORT, Mass., March 17, 2021 – Anna Jaques Hospital announced today the official and long-anticipated launch of the construction phase of the Anna Jaques Hospital Stepping Forward Project. Nearly a year to the day after being delayed due to COVID-19, the project is back on track and ready to break ground. Construction will commence on March 22, 2021, and is expected to take about a year to complete.
The Stepping Forward Project will expand the hospital’s surgical capacity for the first time in 25 years by adding two new state-of-the-art operating rooms. Additionally, Anna Jaques will fully renovate the hospital entrance named for long-time volunteers and community leaders Helen and Byron J. Matthews. It will also create a more functional space for central sterile, move the helipad about 25 feet from its current location, and expand the Lagasse Terrace while retaining the historic look and feel of the hospital campus.
“The Stepping Forward Project will enhance our ability to provide superior patient care with two new operating rooms that can house today’s advanced technology and larger surgical teams,” said Mark Goldstein, President of Anna Jaques Hospital.
On March 22, 2021, the main entrance to the hospital will be closed, and the helipad will be removed and temporarily relocated to the Industrial Park in Newburyport, MA while construction is underway. The hospital will remain fully operational throughout construction and plans to do everything possible to minimize any disruption or inconvenience.
This expansion/renovation is a significant undertaking that has been many years in the making. Thanks to the generosity of the Anna Jaques Hospital community, the Anna Jaques Community Health Foundation is in the final push towards meeting a $4 million fundraising goal which will contribute to $8 million in construction costs.
Patients can find more details about safely entering the hospital and view construction progress at the dedicated website: www.ajh.org/steppingforward. A live webcam will be streaming the construction site 24/7, so patients can view progress in real-time.
###