Sycamore Medical Center is adding 32 private patient rooms. The hospital is expanding part of the third floor to accommodate the increased demand for medical surgical services including orthopedic and bariatric surgery patients.

Work on the $8.7 million project recently began with local company Danis Building Construction. It is expected to be completed by spring 2016.

The expansion will create about 30 jobs, including registered nurses, nurse aids and support staff.

“This expansion will allow Sycamore Medical Center to provide an even better experience for our patients,” says Walter Sackett, senior vice president and administrator of Sycamore Medical Center. “It will move us toward our goal of offering all private patient rooms. It also will help us to improve patient flow in the hospital.”

“The patient is at the heart of the unit’s design,” says Julie Vincent, vice president of patient care services for Sycamore. “We formed a patient advisory council to get our patients’ perspectives on features including design and aesthetics, wayfinding, patient flow and the family waiting area.”