Two Providence Services Eastern Washington hospitals here, Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital, are getting ready to propose major expansion and remodeling projects on their respective campuses.


Sacred Heart, Spokanes largest hospital and one of its largest employers, will seek the PSEW boards approval to erect a $65 million addition that would accommodate a growing volume of surgeries, neonatal intensive-care activity, and related support services. As part of that expansion, it says it also would like to centralize its womens services, such as obstetrics, nurseries, and clinics, into one location.


Meanwhile, Holy Family, the citys primary North Side hospital, is evaluating the possible construction of a series of new ambulatory services on the north side of the hospital and will present them to the PSEW board for consideration, says Tom Corley, Holy Familys CEO.


The most critical service areas in terms of need and growth in north Spokane include Holy Familys emergency center, imaging services, cancer care, cardiology, cardiopulmonary, same-day surgery, and the need for a medical office building, he says.


Holy Family didnt provide any other information about the projects its considering or say how much they might cost. However, based on the information released, it appears likely they would run into the millions of dollars.


The two hospitals say theyll be presenting their proposals to the PSEW board shortly, and the board will meet several times this summer to consider them.


The proposed Sacred Heart addition would include up to 165,700 square feet of floor space and would be built on the west side of the main hospital building. A three-story portion of the hospital thats located there now would be extended farther westward, toward the southeast corner of Seventh Avenue and McClellan Street, and four new floors would be added atop that section of the hospital, to give it a total of seven floors.


In addition to increased patient activity, new technology and space-requirement regulations are driving the expansion discussions, the hospital says.


At this point, there are few options open to us in accommodating increased activity and new technology within our current space, says Sacred Heart CEO Skip Davis. On the other hand, what we are looking at is a sizable project and the cost that entails. We are providing the board with a well-developed proposal for their consideration. They may, or may not, give the medical center the nod to proceed, and we may have to go back to the drawing board.


If constructed, the addition would be the latest in a steady stream of expansions and upgrades by Sacred Heart over about the last decade. The 623-bed, nonprofit Catholic hospital completed a $5 million renovation of its intensive-care unit about a year ago and a $4.8 million expansion and remodel of its emergency department about two years ago.


Six years ago, it completed its single largest project of the last decade, a $28 million expansion of the Sacred Heart Doctors Building, located just south of the main hospital building. About that same time, it also wrapped up a nearly $5 million expansion of its radiation oncology department, and in the summer of 1990, it completed construction of a $5 million employee parking garage.


Its unclear at this point whether Sacred Hearts expansion, if its built, would result in more jobs.