Maine Medical Center (MMC) in Maine, US is set to enhance its patient care capabilities with the opening of the new Malone Family Tower next month.  

Scheduled to open on 9 June, the new facility will mark the culmination of MMC's multi-year expansion and modernisation project. Started in 2018, this project is aimed at improving hospital-based care access and boosting private room availability. 

Located on Congress Street, the eight-storey Malone Family Tower will significantly modernise MMC's facilities, adding 96 private patient rooms, nine procedure rooms, ten operating rooms, and a total of 40 pre- and post-procedure beds.  

A 20,000ft² sterile processing department (SPD) will also be situated atop the tower, serving all operating and procedure rooms within the medical centre. 

Designed with a glass exterior to maximise natural light, the Malone Family Tower is set to offer a new patient and visitor entrance on Congress Street with direct access to MMC's parking garage, as well as valet parking services.  

This also complements the hospital's main entrance on Bramhall Street. 

In addition, the tower addresses the regional demand for cardiac and cardiovascular care, providing flexible spaces that encourage collaboration within MMC's cardiovascular care team.  

Additionally, the Malone Family Tower increases MMC's intensive care unit (ICU) bed capacity to more than 100, with the addition of 32 ICU-level beds. 

MMC performs more than 1,200 open heart surgeries, around 5,000 catheter-based procedures, and approximately 600 ablations annually. 

Despite challenges posed by the pandemic and inflation, MMC said that its new Malone Family Tower was completed on time and within budget. 

The Malone Family Tower expansion and modernisation project included the expansion of the patient and visitor parking garage in 2019. 

The $378m Malone Family Tower was funded through a combination of reserves, operating revenues, grants, bonds, and crucially, substantial community donations. 

MaineHealth Southern Region chief medical officer Dr Joel Botler said: “With more procedures requiring large, interdisciplinary teams, advanced imaging and other technologies, our new operating and procedure spaces can accommodate the latest advances in cardiac therapeutics and treatments while also providing a more comfortable environment for our patients.”