Construction Update

Landmark Hospital, 604 N. Old Highway 63

Owner: Landmark Hospitals

General Contractor: George Crawford Construction

Size: 32,000 square feet, 4.7-acre site

Estimated Cost: $7 million

Completion Date: Sept. 8

Architect: Wallace Architects, Columbia

Landmark Hospital is a Long-Term Acute Care facility designed to treat very ill, yet stable, patients. The facility will provide primary care for patients requiring a hospital stay of 25 days or longer and whose treatment plan falls between those offered at traditional hospitals and nursing homes.

Debbie Sabella is the chief executive officer, a position she held at Landmark Hospitals’ similar acute-care facility in Cape Girardeau for the last three years. Lori Johnson is the chief clinical officer.

Landmark Hospital will have 40 employees initially, including respiratory therapists, registered nurses, clinical staff and office support personnel, and plans to admit the first patient on Sept. 21, Sabella said. Landmark intends to hire two physicians and has about 50 physicians already credentialed to see patients at the hospital.

The next six months will be a demonstration period for the hospital. The state Division of Health and Senior Services will monitor the policies and procedures, and the number of patients will be kept to about five, she said.

The hospital has 42 patient beds and plans to hire as many as 120 employees.

The hospital project, located next to Columbia Country Club, drew opposition from neighbors who were concerned that rezoning the vacant tract from residential and allowing the construction would open the entire stretch of frontage on the east side of Old Highway 63 to office and commercial development.

But representatives of the neighborhood across the road, Benton-Stephens, supported the development, as did leaders of the local medical industry and the business community, which was eager for an economic boost that the new hospital might provide.