St. Francis Hospital Receives Approval for $20.5M Expansion

Dec. 21, 2022

Washington State Department of Health approved Certificate of Need (CoN) application for an additional 24 acute care beds at St. Francis Hospital

St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, part of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH), announced today that the Washington State Department of Health approved its Certificate of Need (CoN) application for an additional 24 acute care beds. This brings the total of licensed beds to 148, including the specialty care nursery. The $20.5M project will help alleviate high-capacity challenges at the hospital and better serve Federal Way and nearby communities.

Over the last two decades, the emergency department (ED) has seen marked increases in both patient volumes and acuity and is projected to see approximately 45,000 patients by the end of this year. St. Francis Hospital has consistently earned an ‘A’ safety grade through The Leapfrog Group for outstanding patient safety. The additional inpatient beds will provide more appropriate care for admitted patients, allow more capacity in the emergency department for the community and provide a dependable site for EMS to quickly transport patients arriving by ambulance.

“After a year-long process, we’re incredibly excited to receive certificate of need approval from the state. It comes at a crucial time as all hospitals are experiencing increasingly high patient volumes,” said Ketul J. Patel, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health & Division President, Pacific Northwest, CommonSpirit Health. “Despite the challenges we are facing in health care, we are committed to growth strategies such as this expansion which help us serve our communities more efficiently while meeting the evolving needs of our patients.”

This expansion involves remodeling and renovation within the current hospital footprint, with planning and design work to begin immediately. As part of the project, the Family Birth Center (FBC), which has been recognized by the Blue Cross Blue Shield for maternity care, will undergo relocation to the first floor of the current outpatient center.

About Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is an integrated health system serving the Puget Sound region, offering access to some of the country’s most prestigious experts and hospitals that are internationally known for superior quality. With a team of 18,000 team members, including nearly 5,000 employed physicians and affiliated providers, we unite the brightest health care minds in the region to provide world-class clinical excellence at 10 hospitals and nearly 300 sites of care throughout the Puget Sound area. We are proud to be the home of Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS, and Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research. We embrace our community’s uniquely vibrant, active culture by providing holistic, personalized and patient-centered care. We are committed to caring for the most vulnerable in our communities, especially the poor and underserved, providing more than $300 million in community benefit – free, subsidized, and reduced cost health care and programs.