Shepherd Center Construction Projects Moving Along
Chapel reopens while lab, pharmacy, MRI suite and Shepherd Pathways get updates.
If you have visited Shepherd Center or Shepherd Pathways recently, you’ve likely noticed a few updates in progress. Shepherd Center is tackling three construction projects with the goal of improving patient care and providing an even more comfortable and pleasant environment for Shepherd patients and their families.
Alana and Harold Shepherd Chapel
Shepherd Center’s chapel now has a new look and a new name. An Oct. 29 ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of the newly renovated chapel, located near the Shepherd Building entrance. The reconfigured space includes new pews, a meditation area, new chaplain offices and a large painting created by former Shepherd Center patient Gail Foster. The $200,000 chapel renovation was funded through the generosity of longtime Shepherd Center supporters Andrew, Shaler and Fred Alias.
Lab, Pharmacy and MRI Suite
In September 2015, construction began on a $12.7 million project that will add 13,000 square feet for an expanded and updated laboratory, pharmacy and MRI suite on the main Shepherd Center campus. Crews are building two floors over the driveway near the hospital’s loading dock. The addition will connect the Shepherd and Marcus buildings on the second and third floors.
The second floor, consisting of about 6,500 square feet of new space, will house an updated MRI suite, as well as a state-of-the-art 3.0 Tesla MRI machine. The pharmacy and lab will share the third floor, doubling their current size and making them more centrally located. Completion for this project is expected in fall 2016.
Shepherd Pathways
Shepherd Pathways, Shepherd Center’s post-acute (day program) and outpatient brain injury program located on Clairmont Road in nearby Decatur, Ga., is undergoing a $1.8 million renovation funded by donor contributions. Plans call for an improved waiting area for families, as well as additional and updated therapy rooms. A newly added canopy over the existing entrance will allow visitors to exit their cars in a covered area in case of bad weather. The projects are scheduled for completion by spring 2016.
Written by Sara Baxter
Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems, Shepherd Center is ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again.