Construction activity on the new La Porte Hospital is expected to resume June 1, according to the project’s general contractor.
Work was suspended the week of May 18 after some workers tested positive for the coronavirus. The site is expected to undergo an extensive cleaning and additional safeguards will be established to protect site workers, project representatives said.
Joe Frosthoffer, a representative for Birmingham, Ala.-based Robins & Morton, said work on the project was stopped for the safety of everyone involved. Suspension of the project will allow time to disinfect the facility and implement safety protocols, he said.
Frosthoffer said project workers also will undergo screenings, which La Porte Hospital has offered to do.
The construction stoppage is not expected to have an impact on the construction schedule, Frosthoffer said. The new 200,000-square foot, $125 million hospital at 1331 State St. broke ground in August 2018 and was scheduled to open before the end of 2020.
La Porte Hospital officials also announced in April plans to construct a new four-story, 55,000-square-foot building, which will house physician offices and other services. The new building should be completed by fall 2021 and will be next to the new hospital.
The new hospital is part of a $140 million commitment made possible through La Porte Hospital’s affiliation with Community Health Systems of Franklin, Tenn. in March 2016.
Community Health Systems operates 118 hospitals across 20 states, including several in Indiana. The new facility will offer the same complement of services as the current hospital and have space to accommodate future growth.
