Mercy Fort Smith on track for first half 2025 completion of major expansion

The excitement is growing, along with square footage, at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith as they steadily move toward opening a new emergency room and intensive care unit in the first half of 2025.

“From the groundbreaking in February 2022 to the topping-out ceremony this past April, we’ve been able to observe this major project take shape and are eager to open doors for patients next year,” said Jason Demke, chief operating officer at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith.

Mercy began work on the main Fort Smith hospital in February 2022. The $186 million project will expand its emergency department from 29 to 50 rooms and boost beds in the intensive care unit from 38 to 64. The new ER will allow for about 25,000 more patient visits per year and include “special considerations for infectious disease and behavioral health patients.” The ER expansion includes a five-room secured area for behavioral health patients that is designed for patient and co-worker safety.

The original estimate for the expansion project was $164 million. That number grew to $186 million with the rising cost of materials and labor after the project began. Demke said it now remains on budget. The expansion to add ICU and emergency room space and more than 160 jobs at Mercy Fort Smith is on schedule and expected to be complete by March or April 2025.

“The expansion project is going very well. Work on the exterior of the new facility nears completion. Interior finishing work is underway, which includes drywall, paint and installation of ceilings and flooring,” Demke said.

He gives much of the credit for things running smoothly during the construction of the expansion project to McCarthy Building Companies and its crew, who have worked to make the new facility a reality for Mercy and the community while partnering with local mechanical, painting, excavating, roofing and landscaping firms.

“Altogether, this project has had a more than $50 million economic impact on the River Valley, plus an additional $14 million outside of the River Valley, for a total $64 million impact on Arkansas,” Demke said.

According to economic impact info from the hospital, project construction will have a temporary benefit of 400 jobs with an estimated value to the regional economy of $34 million. Once completed the expansion will result in 168 new jobs – added over two to three years – with a labor impact of $15.5 million, and 56 indirect jobs with an impact of $3.7 million.

Expansion of the ICU will more than double rooms available to support ventilators, and an automation system will allow some spaces to be turned into isolation areas. Additional plans include a 22-bed observation unit requiring no renovation in the former ICU space, helipad relocation that will improve patient transport, and new gift shop and meeting space. The work also includes 140 more parking spaces, with parking closer to the new ER entrance.

“We are also grateful for the patience and understanding from co-workers, patients, visitors and the community as a whole as we continue to navigate through the construction process. We know this new facility will bring needed change to the way patients experience care in the region,” Demke said.

He said Mercy administration is meeting regularly to review details regarding the process for moving to the new space, and recruitment and planning for staffing for the expansion of services are in motion.