$47.1 million bond application approved for Olathe Medical Center expansion

The Olathe City Council Tuesday night approved a $47.1 million bond application for new construction at Olathe Medical Center.

The project, estimated to cost $67 million in all, is to include a comprehensive 25,000-square-foot cancer center; a 105,000-square- foot wing of patient rooms for an obstetrics and neonatal intensive care unit; and a new entrance and expansion to the kitchen and dining area, according to information provided to City Council members.

The city is issuing the bonds on behalf of the medical center, but the hospital is responsible for repaying the bonds through its own revenues, Deputy City Attorney Ron Shaver said.

Overland Park-based HMN Architects, Inc., is designing the project. A contractor has not been chosen.

Hospital spokesman Mike Jensen said hospital officials are early in the process of developing key pieces of the construction project, though he anticipates construction to begin before April 1 on the patient wing and kitchen and dining area.

A construction date on the new cancer center hasn’t been determined, he said.

The new center will complement cancer treatment already provided at the hospital, Jensen said.

“There is a growing need for cancer services,” wrote Jensen, the hospital’s vice president of marketing and external affairs, in an email. “Cancer remains a major health problem in our communities.”

“Our patients deserve the opportunity to receive their cancer care closer to home. We have had excellent physicians and staff dedicated to cancer care for decades at OMC. Now, thanks to our board leadership and those same dedicated physicians and staff, we are putting many new processes in place to take our cancer care to a higher level.”

The new cancer center, he added, will allow patients to receive care in a “collaborative, convenient environment.” The hospital will also conduct a capital fundraising campaign to help pay for construction costs and new equipment of the cancer center.

The upcoming construction project is one of several new developments at the center, located at 151st Street and Interstate 35, Jensen said.

He cited the October opening of Hospice House, which is operating close to capacity, and a new memory care assisted-living facility designed to treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, slated to open in early 2016.

Jensen said hospital officials are likely to host public meetings in coming weeks to discuss the new construction project in more detail.

Hospital officials have been encouraged by the city’s support for the new

Mayor Michael Copeland said access to premium health care is a key consideration for potential new residents and businesses.

OMC is a “wonderful key partner in our community” in that regard, he said.

“Olathe Medical Center mirrors the community of Olathe,” Copeland said. “It started as a small community hospital and has grown to become a regional superstar. It’s already a crown jewel for this region, but it’s moving even further to grander heights. I’m very proud of them. It reflects our community. The plans are exciting, and the architecture is beautiful.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2014 at 10:52 AM with the headline "$47.1 million bond application approved for Olathe Medical Center expansion."