The future Irwin Army Community Hospital. Photo courtesy of Fort Riley Public Affairs
Fort Riley hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in anticipation of construction for the new state of the art Irwin Army Community Hospital Friday afternoon.
“This will take us from having the Army’s oldest hospital to having the Army’s newest hospital,” Fort Riley Commanding General, Vincent Brooks said. “The new Irwin Army Community Hospital represents a commitment to the best possible care for our soldiers, our families, our military retirees and where appropriate our department of the army civilian workforce.”
Some highlights for the new $404 million facility include 44 inpatient beds, four operating theaters, 21 emergency care rooms, CAT and MRI scan capability, laser eye surgery and a traumatic brain injury center.
Garrison Commander, Kevin Brown, noted the change and progress to Fort Riley over the years, and referenced it by pausing so the audience could hear the sound of construction crews working on the Warrior Transition Battalion directly outside the ceremony. “We often talk about the enormous change that has occurred here over the last four or five years, and appropriately, if you listen real close you can actually hear it going on right outside of this facility.”
The facility will be the largest piece of infrastructure ever built in the 103-year history of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. Roger Wilson Jr., Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, said, “the corps mission is simply this, to build a state of the art health care facility for Fort Riley. To improve the health and welfare of our nation’s greatest resources the soldiers, families and retirees of our army.”
The new Irwin Army Community Hospital will receive a silver rating from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system upon its completion. The LEED rating system provides standards for environmentally sustainable construction
“The hospital incorporates the latest in sustainability concepts combining modern technologies and commonsense to provide a more energy efficient, greener facility to most effectively utilize our precious resources,” said Colonel Wilson.
Construction is set to begin next month on the new 550,000-square foot facility with completion expected in 2013. The hospital will meet the future health care needs of Fort Riley for the next 30 years.