St. Mark's Hospital opens new patient tower to care for more Utahns

Salt Lake City, UT – It is an exciting time at St. Mark’s Hospital with the opening of their brand-new patient tower! Andrew Zenger, Chief Operating Officer at St. Mark’s, took Jenny Hardman on a behind-the-scenes tour of the new north tower building for The PLACE.

“We are thrilled to expand our footprint with the new patient tower to help us better serve Salt Lake County and our surrounding Utah communities. We are happy the wait is over and we can open it up to our patients and their families,” Zenger explained. “This project allows us to continue our commitment to provide exceptional patient care and experience for everyone who walks through our doors.”

Two years in the making, preparation work and construction for the new tower project began in early 2021. But, in the end, all of the construction has been well worth it!

The new five floor patient tower consists of over 125,000 square feet of new space, along with 42,000 square feet of renovated space. Highlights of the new tower include:

• Increased patient room sizes
• A new emergency room entrance
• A second helipad that will help get patients to level II trauma care faster
• More comfortable waiting areas for patients’ friends and families
• Additional clinic space to support service line growth within the hospital, including:
• A dedicated orthopedic nursing unit to address all orthopedic needs of patients, and
• A second electrophysiology lab to better serve heart patients

 The expansion also brings with it updated technology and medical equipment into the hospital, complementing St. Mark’s Hospital’s already state-of-the-art medical services.

 “We’re proud to invest in making this the place that even more Utahns can trust in life-altering medical situations and for everyday care and treatment,” Greg Angle, the president of MountainStar Healthcare, said July 19 during a press conference and ribbon cutting event for the new patient tower. “This is part of our strategy to expand access and improve capabilities throughout our Utah care network.”

First Floor

• Registration
• Coffee Shop
• Reconfigured ER Waiting Room
• Shell Space for Future Growth

Second Floor

• Same-Day Surgery
• Endoscopy

Third Floor

• Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Fourth Floor

• Progressive Care Unit

Fifth Floor

• Med-Surg Unit

An Incredible History & Tradition

In 2022, St. Mark’s Hospital – Utah’s first hospital – celebrated its 150th anniversary! In 2023, not only is the hospital celebrating the opening of its new patient tower, it is also celebrating 50 years in its current location in Millcreek.

“Our clinical teams have been showing up for our community for 150 years! Our people have shown up for those who need it most – no matter the circumstances – and this new patient tower emphasizes that continued commitment to Utah,” Zenger added.

In 1872, Salt Lake City – a pioneer settlement – was booming with 12,000 residents and growing, but the city was long overdue for one more addition – a hospital. So, St. Mark’s Hospital answered that need.

“St. Mark’s Hospital was established almost 150 years ago. Since then, St. Mark’s Hospital has been the pioneer for provided quality healthcare to the people of Salt Lake City and the surrounding communities,” Jeremy Bradshaw, CEO of St. Mark’s Hospital, told FOX13 News. “It brings me a great sense of pride to know that we get to care for and help the people in our community, every day. This new patient tower emphasizes our commitment to continue to provide that same great care for many years to come.”

Creating Another Time Capsule for Generations to Come

As part of the hospital’s 150th anniversary celebration last year, the hospital opened a time capsule that had been housed in an exterior wall of the building. That’s right – in the 1890s, St. Mark’s Hospital began gathering items for a time capsule that was placed as a cornerstone in one of its original buildings. Then, when construction began on the current St. Mark’s Hospital location in 1970 in Millcreek, additional items were added to the capsule. Among some of the items found inside were newspaper clippings, documents, books, and jewelry — some dating back to the mid-1800s.

To continue the tradition, the team at St. Mark’s has created a new time capsule for future colleagues to discover in generations to come! Some of the items put inside this years’ time capsule include:

• An unused federal government-issued COVID-19 test
• EMS patches from departments across the service area
• Select photos from the hospital’s NICU Hall of Hope
• Religious books contributed by the spiritual care team at St. Mark’s Hospital

 St. Mark’s Hospital is located at 1200 East 3900 South in Salt Lake City, UT 84124. For additional information about the new patient tower, click here. Visit StMarksHospital.com or call (801) 268-7111 today!

For the full story, visit Fox 13.