PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) – A $63 million expansion at Portsmouth Regional Hospital is still planned, despite a court battle that questions who actually controls the facility.
Hospital leaders say corporate deals won’t threaten the 68,000-square foot addition and 88,000-square foot renovation. If the plan stays unchanged, construction could begin next year. It is supposed to be done by 2012.
The hospital’s parent company, Hospital Corporation of America, is in court fighting with the Seacoast Foundation for Health. Officials said the upgrades are needed to address an aging and growing population while lawyers sort through the ownership questions.
“When we built this hospital 20 years ago, we set the standard for care and I think the other hospitals have followed suit. The rooms will provide an optimal patient comfort. We’ve always been a leader in technology,” hospital president William Schuler said.
A new floor will add 40 new private beds to serve the hospital’s Heart and Lung Center, but the total number of beds will stay at around 209.
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