St. Joseph Hospital set to open new $10 million surgical wing

The Bay City Times reports on the grand openning plans for the new wing of St. Joseph's Hospital in Tawas City.

Visitors will get their first look at the new facility come Monday, when the $10.5 million building opens for business. The glass-and-brick structure overlooks Tawas Bay.

The new surgical and cardiovascular center increases the hospital's operating space from about 5,000 square feet to some 26,000 square feet. The new building has two general surgery rooms and one room for orthopedic surgery. The huge jump in size will help the hospital meet the growing demand for surgical procedures in Iosco County and the surrounding region. The demand is being driven by the area's aging population and increasing ranks of retirees moving to Northeast Michigan.

The grand opening of the surgical center on Monday will see 31 procedures performed there, as physicians begin using the new facility in earnest. The center will have a staff of between 30 and 35 people.

The building is a large wing of the existing hospital, which is located near the intersection of highways M-55 and US-23 in Tawas City.