Bon Secours leaders, together with local elected officials, community members and spiritual leaders, broke ground today on an 8-story Critical Care Tower at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital, part of a transformative $370 million expansion that will modernize infrastructure, enhance patient care and strengthen the hospital’s centers of excellence in cardiology, neurology, oncology, neonatology and intensive care.

“Today marks a pivotal moment for Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital; this is the most significant expansion project to take place since we broke ground on the hospital more than 60 years ago. This expansion is essential to our future and represents the next chapter in Bon Secours’ Mission of extending the healing ministry of Jesus,” said Bryan Lee, president of Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital. “This critical care tower will modernize St. Mary’s facilities, more than double critical care capacity and enhance the experience for patients and families. It’s helps us ensure that we’ll be able to provide the right care when and where our patients need it and continue bringing good help to those in need for generations to come.”

The project is part of a long-term master plan to modernize St. Mary’s campus, which will unfold in multiple phases. Completed work includes temporarily relocating the main hospital entrance and relocation of accessible parking to the new entrance. Construction of the critical care tower represents the project’s next phase. Upon completion of the 200,000 square foot tower in 2028, renovations of approximately 90,000 square feet of existing hospital space will begin.

Additional highlights of the expansion project include:

  • Doubling overall critical care capacity with new NICU, Cardiac ICU, and Neuro ICU, optimizing licensed bed mix to better serve higher-acuity patients.
  • Expanding the NICU from 21-bed bay to 31 private bassinets, offering more privacy and space for families, including multiples.
  • Privatizing all patient rooms to enhance the patient experience.
  • Relocating the hospital helipad to the rooftop for faster and safer patient transport.
  • Incorporating inpatient Smart Hospital technology using AI to elevate patient safety and care.
  • Renovating state-of-the-art operating rooms, including a specialized cardiac surgery suite.
  • Creating 55 new patient parking spaces and approximately 357 new hospital jobs.
  • Incorporating shelled space for future growth to meet ongoing community need.

“While these critical care services are already operating at St. Mary’s, moving them into the tower will significantly improve how we deliver care and allow us to incorporate new technology. It will take what we are functionally able to do today and match it with the infrastructure that supports it,” said Mark Bladergroen, MD, executive medical director of the Bon Secours Heart & Vascular Institute. “To coordinate this level of complexity and keep pace with technological innovation driving complex care, you must continue to invest in your structure. I’m proud that Bon Secours is doing just that.”

Bon Secours partnered with Perkins&Will as the project architect and DPR Construction as the construction partner. The hospital’s clinical and operational teams were actively engaged in the design process, helping to shape spaces that reflect their frontline expertise and commitment to patient-centered care.

“St. Mary’s opened its doors in 1966 as Richmond’s first Catholic hospital, the first fully racially integrated hospital, and the first hospital run by women,” Lee added. “That legacy of inclusion and courage still inspires us today. This tower is more than bricks and mortar, it’s an investment in the generations of patients who will receive care here for decades to come.”

In conjunction with the groundbreaking, Bon Secours also announced the launch of the quiet phase of its Generations of Good Help capital campaign, inviting community members, philanthropists, and former patients to help support the project.

“From the very beginning, St. Mary’s has been a community effort,” said Lee. “Just as the Sisters of Bon Secours worked hand in hand with Richmond residents to open the hospital nearly 60 years ago, we once again invite our community to join us in building the future of health care right here at home.”

Construction on the Critical Care Tower is expected to be completed in 2028, with subsequent hospital renovation work continuing through 2029.

Learn more about project updates and campaign information.