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Mercy’s $186M Project Nears Completion

2 min read

Mercy Hospital Fort Smith expects to see the first patients at its $186 million expanded emergency room and intensive care unit in May.

The four-story, 161,000-SF project also includes a parking deck with about 500 spaces, said Jason Demke, the hospital’s chief operating officer.

On May 7, patients will be able to visit the expanded emergency room, which will have grown from 29 to 50 rooms, Demke said.

The emergency department has been seeing more visitors in recent years. In 2024, it had more than 68,000 patient visits, up about 8% from the previous year, Demke said. The original ER was designed to handle about half that number.

Mercy’s patients “expect to have care where they want it, how they want it and as soon as they need it,” he said. “And this expanded space gives us that ability to see patients timely and in a focused effort that helps provide them the best possible experience they can [get].”

On May 21 — two weeks after the emergency room expansion opens — patients will have access to the larger ICU, which added 26 beds, giving it a total of 64.

Jason Demke (Mercy Hospital Fort Smith)

“Our existing ICU was built decades ago, and it has served us long and well,” Demke said. But the project expanded the rooms and added floor-to-ceiling windows, along with state-of-the-art equipment. “Natural light makes a difference in the healing process,” he said.

The building’s automation system also is being designed to allow floors or pods to be turned into isolation areas as needed.

Demke said the hospital plans to add employees during the year, but he didn’t have a specific number.

The project, which is one of the largest construction projects in the state, also calls for a new main entrance.

The construction work started in February 2022 and was estimated at $162 million at the time. But supply chain issues, inflation and trouble finding skilled workers drove up the cost. Mercy Hospital Fort Smith is part of Mercy, the Catholic health care system based in Chesterfield, Missouri. Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems in the country, is paying for the project.

The project was designed by HKS Inc. of Dallas, and McCarthy Building Cos. of Richardson, Texas, is the general contractor.

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