Major Expansion Announced For Norwalk Hospital (2024)

The planned work is set to be the largest expansion project in the hospital's history.

Posted Thu, Jun 24, 2021 at 2:51 pm ET

According to an announcement provided by Nuvance Health, the expansion will include the construction of a seven-story pavilion on the southeast corner of the campus, which will replace the Community Pavilion built in 1953 and the Tracey Pavilion built in 1918.

The new patient tower will modernize inpatient care and feature an even more comfortable, soothing environment for all. The 180,000-square foot building is expected to open in winter 2025 or 2026.

Peter Cordeau, president of Norwalk Hospital, said he was excited about the planned expansion and grateful to the community for their support.

"We're very excited to continue our long-standing commitment to high-quality healthcare for the community by advancing our facilities and technology to meet the future needs of southwestern Connecticut," Cordeau said in the announcement. "And we are very grateful to the community for their ongoing support and philanthropy that will bring this plan to life."

Mayor Harry Rilling said it was great news the hospital planned to continue to invest in the community's health and well-being.

"This is a multi-year project, and the community, staff and patients will all be involved in the design discussions," Rilling said to Patch. "Residents should feel reassured that a top-flight hospital is right here in our backyard for routine or emergency services. I appreciate the leadership of Peter Cordeau and the entire hospital team for realizing how important quality health care is for our community. Again this is great news and, when completed, will be a real win for Norwalk."

The new facility's design is intended to provide an environment that promotes healing and amenities to enable caregivers to deliver the best care possible. Natural light-filled building connectors will also provide easy access between the new pavilion, the Main Pavilion and the McGraw Pavilion.

This new state-of-the-art patient pavilion will also enhance the patient experience by providing single bed patient rooms and spacious modernized facilities.

There will also be substantial renovations and updates to existing spaces as part of the construction, including a new labor and delivery unit and a new intensive care unit and step-down unit. Significant improvements will also be made to the infrastructure of the building.

Other features of the renovation project include:

Medical-Surgical Unit – Three floors will be designed for patients requiring hospitalizations for illness and injury, as well as for those having surgery. The medical/surgical unit will feature 90 private, contemporary patient rooms with designated space for medical equipment and for visiting loved ones.

Mother and Infant Unit – Long-awaited, Norwalk Hospital will build a welcoming new mother and baby unit featuring 17 private rooms, a six-bassinet well baby nursery and a neonatal (NICU) intensive care unit for premature and critically ill babies. The NICU will feature six high-touch, high-tech infant rooms.

Main Pavilion Enhancements and Renovations – In addition to creating the new patient tower, Norwalk Hospital will be enhancing and renovating the main pavilion, creating a more welcoming hub for patients and visitors alike.

Labor and Delivery – Labor and delivery will move to the main pavilion and feature comfortable birthing rooms, advanced medical equipment and beautiful views. After delivery and recovery, mother and baby will move to the new pavilion for the remainder of their stay where highly skilled clinical teams will continue to care for them.

Intensive Care/Progressive Care – Caring for the critically ill requires close proximity to both the emergency department and operating rooms. Therefore, the ICU and PCU will remain in the main pavilion and will be fully renovated and modernized to feature larger rooms with ample private space for seating for loved ones and for specialized medical equipment.