Milestone celebrated in construction of new UNC Health Blue Ridge tower

UNC Health Blue Ridge held a Topping Out Ceremony on Friday, May 19, where the top-most steel beam was placed on the six-story tower being built to the right of the main hospital.

President and CEO Kathy Bailey said, "For a project this size, the few hiccups we’ve encountered have not delayed our Project Forward motion. I am proud to stand alongside the workers who have spent countless hours scampering over I beams, driving huge trucks around our small campus, and laying the groundwork for generations to come."

The new $118 million six-story tower is a 220,560-square-foot addition with a new expanded Emergency Department, 30 critical care beds, and a rooftop helipad.

“We are celebrating not only a major milestone in the construction of our patient tower but the very real promise of an exciting future that awaits us at its completion,” said Chief Operating Officer Jon Mercer.

“We are on our way to finishing the steel part of construction and on our way to providing new ways of caring for our patients.”

Mercer said the addition will almost double the size of the hospital. “It will serve as a reminder that your community hospital is strong and ready to care for you, that we will always be here to care for your loved ones,” he said.

“The real strength of this hospital is the community that supports it, our patients, and our teammates who care for those patients.”

Tim Cornell, project manager for contractor Brasfield & Gorrie, gave the reason behind the topping out ceremony. “The tree at the end of the beam is a tradition in the steel trade that signifies construction has reached the sky with no loss of life or significant injury,” he said.

“It’s also a symbol of good luck for all future occupants and a symbol of new and continued growth.”

UNC Health Blue Ridge’s building program, called Project Forward, also includes a $38 million cancer center that will open this fall on the Valdese campus.