Expansion underway

The $233.8 million children's hospital expansion project will double Neuroscience Director Cindy Martinez' unit capacity at UNM Hospital.

"I'm really happy this is finally going to happen," she said. "It's been needed for a long time."

The UNM Board of Regents approved the site of the building in June 2001. In July 2004, local contracting companies objected to regents' decision to unionize the contract. UNMH had to amend its lease agreement with Bernalillo County to get a mortgage from the Federal Housing Authority. It also had to amend its contract with Indian Health Services, because part of the new building will sit on American-Indian land.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the hospital expansion project took place Wednesday at the top of the UNMH west parking garage.

The building will be named the Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion. The regents unanimously voted at a Tuesday meeting to name the building after the governor and his wife.

Gov. Bill Richardson said the project is the "biggest and greatest public works project in the state."

The six-story building will include a children's hospital, a maternity center, an adult critical care center, more private rooms and up-to-date equipment.

Martinez said the expansion will give her the ability to take more patients.

"Hopefully we won't have to divert any patients," she said.

Steve McKernan, chief executive offices of UNMH, said the hospital will improve access to health care in New Mexico.

UNM President Louis Caldera said the expansion will help relieve the University's overburdened hospital.

The hospital cares for 50,000 children a year. Richardson said the hospital will improve the quality of, and access to affordable health care, especially to children in rural areas.

UNMH is the only teaching hospital in the state, and its School of Medicine is ranked among the best in the nation. Richardson said he hopes the expansion will help maintain the school's ranking.

"It's a great gift this facility will bring to the state," he said.

Martinez said the new facilities will help draw more nurses to New Mexico.

"The people I'm trying to hire now, I'm telling them all about it," she said. "It gets them excited."

Richardson said he sees the expansion of the hospital as a symbol of New Mexico moving forward and of the need for health care to be addressed and for the University to become stronger. He added the project would not have happened without the efforts of the state's first lady.

The building is slated for completion in November 2007.