The opening of Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden has been delayed until early 2019.
When it was announced in 2016, Baptist Memorial Health Care of Memphis had expected its approximately $43 million hospital project in Crittenden County to open sometime in the first half of 2018.
Unexpected delays were caused by the foundation’s soil having to be replaced and retention ponds having to be built, said Ayoka Pond, a spokeswoman for Baptist Memorial. Those issues increased the cost of construction from $25 million to $30 million.
She said the rest of the money for the project will be used to buy medical equipment and furnish the hospital, which will include an emergency room, cancer services, diagnostic services and operating rooms.
The 65,000-SF hospital is being built to replace the bankrupt Crittenden Regional Hospital in West Memphis, which closed in 2014. Crittenden County hasn’t had a hospital since then.
The architect for the project is Earl Swensson Associates Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee. And the contractor is Flintco LLC of Tulsa.
