New hospital announced for southwest Jefferson County

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Plans have been announced for the replacement of an Alabama hospital.

University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital officials said this week that a new hospital will be built in McCalla to replace the Medical West Hospital in Bessemer, which was built in 1964.

Hospital officials said a new hospital is needed to continue providing adequate care to southwest Jefferson County.

AL.com reports that the State Health Planning and Development Agency on Wednesday approved a Certificate of Need filed by Medical West to build a new, 200-bed hospital. Medical West is an affiliate of the UAB Health System.

The design and construction of the hospital will take about three years. Officials said the existing hospital in Bessemer will continue to provide services through the design and construction period.

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Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews