In May, hospital representatives said they were exploring the possibility of building a new facility on a 58-acre parcel on the west side of Lincoln Parkway. The site is west of the Logan County Fairgrounds.

ALMH community development director Marty Ahrends today said the exploratory stage is complete and the hospital board has decided to forge ahead with designing and constructing a new hospital.

"The new facility will be designed primarily to serve the dramatic growth in outpatient services while also providing inpatient care," Ahrends said.

"The new hospital will be able to accommodate new technology and provide added space for such vital services as emergency care, surgery and diagnostic testing services. Patient privacy, comfort, convenience and safety will be priorities as design plans unfold."

ALMH president and chief executive officer Dolan Dalpoas said today the hospital has yet to purchase the 58-acre tract. But, he added, "We're still very interested in that land." Dalpoas said the hospital does hold an option to purchase the undeveloped property.

He said trends in hospital care have dramatically shifted from inpatient to outpatient services, adding that is a key factor in the decision to build a new facility.

"Our current building allows our staff to provide great patient care, but we realize that it was built 53 years ago to care for an average of more than 140 inpatients daily," Dalpoas said. "Since the 1950s, advances in medicine and medical technology have dramatically decreased the length of stay for many patients. Today, we care for an average of 13 inpatients each night.

"Meanwhile, new technology is enabling many new diagnostic, surgical and treatment procedures to be done safely and effectively at ALMH," Dalpoas added. "Not surprisingly, this is reflected in the dramatic growth of outpatient visits to our hospital."

Since 1997, the number of yearly outpatient visits at the Lincoln hospital has grown by nearly 25 percent - from 41,251 in 1997 to nearly 51,500 in 2006, Dalpoas said.

"A new hospital designed as an outpatient-based facility will be better able to meet the needs of the patients who will come to us for this level of care as the aging, baby boomer population continues to grow," he said.

Dr. John Wahab, president of the hospital's medical staff, said his fellow physicians and health care workers at the hospital are excited about the development.

"We fully support a new hospital and believe our patients will greatly benefit from the enhanced services available at a new facility," Wahab said.

Ahrends said the decision to build a replacement hospital evolved from ALMH 2010 - a 36-month research project to identify the best opportunities for ensuring community access to excellent care in Logan and eastern Mason counties.

Four options were explored, she said. They included maintaining the existing hospital with no renovation; undergoing a minimal renovation of the current hospital; pursuing a major first-floor expansion and total renovation of the current hospital; or constructing a replacement facility.

ALMH engaged nearly 1,000 community members in surveys, focus group discussions and individual interviews to gather input and direction for the ALMH 2010 options.

The hospital's board of directors approved planning for the project this fall.

"Our mission is to help maintain, restore and improve the health of the people and communities we serve," Patti Becker, board chairman, said in a statement. "Our hospital facility is now more than 50 years old. For obvious reasons, it is not designed to meet the changing needs of today's patients ... many of whom need outpatient care that is easily accessible and convenient.

"A new hospital designed to meet these needs and continue to provide inpatient services will enable our hospital to better fulfill our mission and position it to enjoy 53 more years of success. I am proud that the hospital board has chosen to move forward with such an exciting project to preserve the legacy of ALMH."

Dalpoas said this morning the hospital is not prepared to discuss any financial aspects of the construction project.

"That would be premature. We haven't even secured the services of an architect," he said. "We do know what we can afford," but divulging that figure would also be premature, Dalpoas explained.

Woody Hester, who was Dalpoas's successor at the helm of ALMH, earlier said renovating the existing facility to meet today's patient needs would be about as costly as building a new facility. Dalpoas today expressed agreement with that assessment.

"It's not nickel for nickel, but it's close," Dalpoas said.

ALHM opened on April 2, 1954. Its predecessor, Deaconess Hospital, was opened on Jan. 19, 1902.