Cape Fear Valley Health hosted a topping off ceremony for the Valley Pavilion expansion Tuesday, June 6.

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center began this construction project in September 2022, and the expansion is on track to be completed in early 2025. The $110 million expansion will add 100 beds to the facility’s capacity by building two new patient care floors on top of the existing Valley Pavilion section of the medical center. CEO Michael Nagowski estimated that the expansion will create an additional 187 full-time equivalent positions at the medical center as well once completed. 

The additions will raise Valley Pavilion from five to seven stories. Plans also call for the inclusion of two rooftop helipads, which will allow patients to be taken by elevator directly into the hospital emergency department.

This is the first major expansion to the main campus' central building since 2008, when the five-story Valley Pavilion opened.

“Today as we celebrate the topping out of Valley Pavilion’s expansion, I am excited to also celebrate the future of healthcare in our community. Together we are building a stronger, more resilient healthcare system that will continue to serve our community for years to come,” Alicia Marks Flowers, Chairwoman of the Cape Fear Valley Health Board of Trustees, remarked at the topping off ceremony. 

The topping off ceremony, which celebrates the placement of the final steel beam, was held inside the construction staging area on the ground floor on the Village Drive side of the building.  

Before the ceremony, Cape Fear Valley employees were given the opportunity to add their signatures to the steel and be part of the building’s structure when it was displayed at the Employee Appreciation picnic on Friday, June 2.

The final steel beam is the last of 1,863 pieces of steel used in the expansion, a total of 967 tons of steel. During construction, an average of 33 pieces of steel were erected each workday. When finished, the project will also include 2,419 cubic yards of concrete.

“The Valley Pavillion expansion is a testament to our team's unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation and collaboration. Together we have achieved something truly exceptional and I couldn't be prouder of our collective accomplishments,” shared Vice President of Emergency Management and Facilities Brian Pearce at the ceremony. 

When considering how to best complete this project – adding two stories above a structure situated between a busy ER entrance and an equally busy main hospital entrance – the health system looked for design firms and contractors who had successfully completed similar projects. Cape Fear Valley Health settled on Little Diversified Architectural Consulting and Rodgers Builders, Inc., who will be able to complete the project without requiring a closure or shutdown of either entrance. At the ceremony, the craft workers were recognized for their diligent work on this project.