By LANA BRADSTREAM

TIMES-REPUBLICAN

A new hospital will grace Marshalltown in 2022.

On Tuesday, officials at UnityPoint – Marshalltown received approval to move all services to the south campus, and expand.

Chief Operating Office Jenni Friedly cried when she heard the news.

“This is the best day ever,” she said. “It’s like an early Christmas present.”

Essentially a brand new hospital will be built across the road from the Marshalltown Community College. The $38.4 million expansion will add 65,000 square feet to the south campus, and bring the total amount of space to 137,000 square feet.

Friedly said it is important to note that the square feet does not just include a brand new hospital, but also clinics and an ambulance garage.

Now that the project is moving forward, she said the design of the new facility can begin.

“So much hard work has gone into this and we want to make sure that we provide good, quality health care to Marshalltown,” Friedly said. “We have had a lot of tough days but a day like this makes those tough days worth it.”

The hospital board will open the construction project for bids after the design is complete in the spring of 2020. Friedly said the project is expected to take 24 months.