FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Parkview Regional Medical Center (PRMC) announced the opening of its new medical tower, expanding capacity of the hospital by a total of 142 beds.

Construction began on the South Tower in May of 2018. The sixth floor opened in Aug. 2020 as construction was expedited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The 168,000-square-foot addition has six patient floors and a lower level. The 22-bed unit expands the Parkview system’s total bed capacity to more than 250 beds.

“When the decision was made to build the South Tower, no one could have anticipated the emergent need for additional capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said John Bowen, president, PRMC & Affiliates. “Largely because of the South Tower, Parkview was able to care for more than two-thirds of the COVID-19 patients in our region, never go on diversion and always say ‘yes’ when patients needed care. Without PRMC’s additional capacity, the pandemic would have looked remarkably different.”