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Mercy System touts expansion projects

JANESVILLE — Janesville's health care industry will soon get a $10 million shot in the arm.

Mercy Health System says its expansion project on the city's east side is not a reaction to the $150 million St. Mary's Janesville Hospital and Dean Health System clinic going up two miles to the south.

Instead, it's a wellness move designed to better serve consumers, said Javon Bea, Mercy's president and CEO.

"Has Mercy been stagnant for the last 20 years when there was no competition? I don't think so," Bea said.

"Mercy's expansion and renovation plans are part of its overall growth strategy to continue to be committed to its patients, employees and community by bringing specialty services close to those who need it. Our proactive initiatives are a culmination of community and market research information, planning and dedication to bringing necessary services to the communities we serve."

Bea said patients and community members said they wanted more services on the city's east side, particularly physical and occupational therapy and rehabilitation, rheumatology and ophthalmology.

The 50,000-square-foot expansion at Mercy Clinic East on East Milwaukee Street will feature a new sports medicine and rehabilitation department. It will complement Mercy's sports medicine clinic near Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center on the city's west side.

A sports medicine physician has been hired for Mercy East, and the new services there will help patients of other Mercy East physicians, Bea said.

The addition will include a therapy pool; treadmills; elliptical, mechanical traction, strength training and manual therapy equipment.

Mercy also is expanding its Regional Eye Center to include more exam rooms and is hiring a medical retinologist.

Overall, Bea said Mercy Clinic East will add five or six new physicians.

The addition will result in remodeling and renovation of other parts of the clinic, Bea said. It will provide a new face to the building, originally built in 1987. A new entrance plaza will have a covered area for multiple vehicles. A new two-story lobby with a greeting station will provide easy access to clinic services, he said.

Mercy also will feature artwork of area students glazed into wall tiles.

Bea said the project—under the direction of Magill Construction of Elkhorn—will feature a number of green building initiatives, an expanded pharmacy and technology upgrades.

Construction costs, he said, will be about $7 million and $3 million in new equipment will elevate the total project cost to about $10 million.

Mercy already has built a new parking lot. Interior cosmetic and first floor renovation work will start soon. A temporary mobile clinic near the Chase Bank outlot will allow Mercy East departments to rotate through as their areas are renovated.

Completion is expected late next summer with an open house in the fall.

Construction also is underway on a $45 million expansion at Mercy Walworth Hospital and Medical Center in Geneva Township. The facility is growing from 60,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet and from six beds to 25.

"We're continuing to do a number of things that will have a great impact on this area," Bea said, noting the system's recent improvements to its hospital campus in Janesville and the addition of its Level II trauma center, the only facility of its kind south of La Crosse.

In addition, Bea said Tuesday that Mercy will renovate and double its clinic in Edgerton from 4,000 square feet to 8,000. Mercy also will add three physicians to its Edgerton roster that now stands at two.

"We will also be adding a dramatic new façade including stone accents, natural glass and other architectural elements that will greatly enhance the facility's presence," he said. "The Edgerton expansion is another example of our commitment to providing high quality health care services close to home."