photo by: Nick Krug

The LMH Health West Campus is pictured on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020.

It is not every day that Lawrence lands a $100 million project.

LMH West, a new outpatient health care building in northwest Lawrence, is that type of project, though. The $101 million center checks in at 240,000 square feet in space and occupies a high-profile location along the South Lawrence Trafficway. It is just off of the Sixth Street interchange of the trafficway and is next door to the Rock Chalk Park sports complex.

It also occupies a prominent spot in the plans for LMH Health, the nonprofit, city-controlled entity that owns Lawrence’s hospital and a network of doctors’ offices and other health care providers in the region.

The health care industry is changing rapidly both on the national and regional levels, as hospital companies and providers start to consolidate and expand into markets. Talk of that type of change hasn’t avoided Lawrence. But LMH’s board of trustees has said it has no plans to sell Lawrence’s only hospital. The board has taken a strong position that LMH will continue to be an independent, locally owned and locally controlled health care company, although it also has said it will be looking to partner with other organizations in some of the care it provides.

photo by: Nick Krug

Lawrence Memorial Hospital West is pictured on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020.

The LMH West facility gives the organization a major new tool to work with on that front. Outpatient care — meaning care that doesn’t require an overnight hospital stay — is expected to become an even bigger part of the hospital industry in the coming years. Having more room to conduct that care — plus having a location that is easy for those in the broader region to access — was seen as a critical strategic need for LMH, hospital leaders have said.

The center is expected to become a major hub of activity for LMH and the northwest Lawrence area. Whether it be for something as complex as a knee surgery or as simple as a routine checkup at your family doctor, LMH West is projected to have about 1,000 patients and 200 employees on site each day.

photo by: Nick Krug

A lower level view of the lobby shows the OrthoKansas wing on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020 at LMH West.

For all of those reasons and more, we thought readers deserved a special look at what’s included at LMH West. Crews have been moving into the facility for more than a month, and some of the first procedures at LMH West are scheduled for Monday.

In this special section, you can learn more about a variety of features at the facility, ranging from a new comprehensive center for women’s health care to a major partnership with the Lawrence Arts Center to house a significant number of locally created art pieces in the health care offices.

The section also includes a complete layout of all three floors of the facility. As a reminder, the facility is an addition to LMH’s holdings. The main hospital at 325 Maine St. will continue to operate and serve as the headquarters for the organization. The emergency department, all inpatient care services, and many physician practices and other elements will remain at the main hospital building.

photo by: Nick Krug

A CT scan imaging machine is pictured on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020 at LMH West.

Here’s a brief look, though, at several of the services you will find at LMH West:

• An enlarged Lawrence Surgery Center to conduct a variety of outpatient procedures

• An orthopedic center run by OrthoKansas, which provides orthopedic and sports medicine care throughout the region

• A new Women’s Center that will bring multiple practices together, including LMH’s Breast Center, pelvic health, plastic surgery, gynecology and other service providers that specialize in women’s health care

• A new home for LMH physical therapy services

• Doctors’ offices for the Internal Medicine Group and Mt. Oread Family practice, along with space for several specialty clinics that are expected to locate at the facility

• A retail pharmacy that will be operated by Jayhawk Pharmacy

• A food court and rooftop garden that will accommodate patients, visitors and staff members

Check out the remaining articles in this section for more details on what’s inside the largest addition to Lawrence’s health care scene in decades.

LMH West special section (09-13-20)

• LMH CEO Johnson: New west campus is a big milestone

• LMH West facility hopes to become regional destination for orthopedic, sports injury care

• Lawrence Surgery Center will now have bigger rooms, better technology at LMH West

• LMH West to surround patients with beautiful works from local artists

• New center at LMH West will bring variety of health care for women under one roof

• 6 things to know about LMH West for patients and community members alike

• Private donors provide millions to LMH West project