Breaking Ground Mercy Begins Work on New Medical Office Building

Mercy Medical Center administrators, trustees, physicians, and supporters joined elected officials and community leaders at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new outpatient facility on Oct. 22 at a parcel of land at the corner of Carew and Chestnut streets.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield), state Sens. Gale Candaras (D-Wilbraham) and Jim Welch (D-West Springfield), and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno were among the elected officials at the event.

The medical office building will be developed by Carew Chestnut Partners. Plans call for the construction of a three-story, 75,000-square-foot building that will include 25,000 square feet of medical office space on each floor. The new building will house Weldon Rehabilitation Hospital’s outpatient rehabilitation programs, the Mercy Hearing Center, and two Mercy-affiliated physician practices. Hampden County Physician Associates will also occupy half of the office space in the new facility through consolidation of several existing medical practice sites in the area. The building will be constructed utilizing ’green’ technologies and will be an environmentally friendly and responsible structure.

Under the terms of a construction and land-lease agreement, Carew Chestnut Partners will develop and own the building. The Sisters of Providence Health System will maintain ownership of the parcel of land and will lease it to Carew Chestnut Partners.

“Mercy Medical Center is committed to the delivery of outstanding patient care and the best health care experience possible,” said Daniel Moen, president and CEO of the Sisters of Providence Health System. “This innovative partnership will allow us to further that goal through the construction of this new medical office building. We welcome the opportunity to offer patients care in a spacious, bright, state-of-the-art setting that also features easily accessible parking.”

Dr. Marc Goldman, president of Hampden County Physician Associates, said his organization is “pleased to bring more of our comprehensive services to the Mercy campus and, in particular, to this new facility. This new partnership will benefit our patients with the added convenience of close proximity to hospital-based services.”

Dr. Art King, vice president of Hampden County Physician Associates, agreed. “Patients will have access to primary care, specialty care, laboratory, and other services, and we are confident they will appreciate the convenience of having access to this combination of services all under one roof.”

Andrew Henshon, managing partner of Carew Chestnut Partners, said his company has extensive experience not only in the construction and development of first-rate medical office space, but also in the management of such properties. “We are very pleased to participate in this new venture with Mercy Medical Center and Hampden County Physician Associates,” he noted. “The new environmentally friendly medical office building promises to be one of the region’s leading destinations for outpatient medical care and services.”