The North Oakland landscape has shifted dramatically in recent months as construction continues to expand Citizens Memorial Hospital.
On Tuesday, Aug. 12, board members of the Chamber of Commerce and the BH-FP toured the new facility and got a first look at the changes that will soon benefit patients and the community.
The new three-story structure is expected to open in March 2026. After the hospital moves into the new space, renovations will begin on the existing hospital building. Those updates are expected to take most of the year, with the goal of completion by late 2026, although construction timelines can be difficult to predict.
When complete, the project will reshape the way CMH delivers care. The new tower will house the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, The Birth Place, Medical/Surgical Unit, pharmacy and cafeteria.
Expanding critical services
“Currently, we have 12 rooms in the ER; soon we will have 29, more than double our capacity.” said Michael Calhoun, CEO and executive director of Citizens Memorial Hospital and Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation. “We now have eight beds in our ICU. The new facility will have 16 beds that are ICU-capable. Med/Surg will have 28 all-private rooms. At this time, we have a mix of private and semi-private rooms, so we are excited to be going to all private rooms.”
Calhoun said doubling the number of ICU beds will help the hospital meet demand when critical cases surge.
“This new area is going to help a lot with capabilities because sometimes, especially in the ICU, we run out of space,” he said. “That also speaks to the need for us to continue to bring specialists in to support our patients. That’s our plan, to continue to recruit specialists so our patients don’t have to be transferred to Springfield, Kansas City, or St. Louis.”
The Birth Place
The Birth Place at CMH is one of the hospital’s busiest areas, and the expansion will give growing families more room. Currently, there are six labor and delivery rooms. The new facility will have nine, all located on the third floor of the tower.
“A feature included in the new hospital that we are proud of is the new C-section suite that is located in the same area,” Calhoun said. “This makes it more convenient for our patients and our staff. Once they get on the floor, they won’t have to be moved from one area to another.”
Dining and gathering spaces
The new cafeteria, located on the ground floor of the tower, will be open to the public as well as serve patients and staff. Nearby, a new coffee shop, DJBean, will also welcome visitors with coffee and specialty drinks. It will be the second DJBean location, joining the original at Douglas Medical Center.
The tower will also include the Gift Garden gift shop, offering flowers, gifts, and convenience items for patients, families, and visitors.
The hospital’s three community rooms, which have long served as a gathering place for meetings, classes, and events, will be renovated as part of the 2026 updates to the existing hospital.
During construction, the community rooms temporarily housed the cafeteria. CMH has hosted its community events at the Grand Missouri Bank building, but Calhoun said having those activities back on campus will be another step toward making the hospital a community hub.
Long-awaited growth
Calhoun said the expansion is the result of decades of planning.
“We have needed to expand the hospital for several years, and that has been a discussion for the last 20 years,” he said. “We got to a point where we had outgrown our current facility, in the ER particularly.”
The current emergency department was designed to handle about 12,000 visits a year, but CMH now sees more than 20,000.
“With this growth, it really is a better reflection of the care that we’re providing,” Calhoun said.
“To be able to grow with the future and to be sustainable in the future, we felt like this was the time for this project. Having the support from our hospital and foundation boards, along with the USDA, which invested in the project through the rural development program, it became apparent that this was the right time for us to move forward.”
Looking ahead
When the doors open in early 2026, CMH leaders believe the hospital will not only be more modern but also better equipped to serve the region for decades to come.
“It’s about making sure our patients have the care they need close to home,” Calhoun said.
“This expansion will allow us to continue to grow with our community and make sure that future generations have the same access to quality care that people depend on today.”
